Schools should, wherever possible, stay open in severe weather. They play a key role in their communities and by staying open help both their pupils and parents. – Department for Education

During the winter months there is always the possibility of snow and ice, which can cause widespread and prolonged disruption. Schools are often affected and while we will make every effort to keep the school open, there may be times when the school may close due to ‘unavoidable’ circumstances.  Our school is situated in a rural village only accessed by country roads, and these roads are not gritted or cleared on a regular basis.

We recognise that it is important that our school remains open, so parents are able to work and pupils can continue to learn, and we will make every effort to prepare for snow/ice this winter by e.g. gritting pathways on the school site.  We are not able to grit other areas of the village and therefore will need to take the conditions in the surrounding areas, roads, village hall car park etc, into consideration when making our decisions.

How will we let you know if the school is closed?

If we do experience snow/ice resulting in hazardous conditions, Mrs Head may have to take the decision to close the school. Once this decision has been made, we will notify parents in a variety of ways.

• Via the Kent Closures website. To determine whether Egerton CEP School is open or closed please visit www.kentclosures.co.uk .   Search for the school in the search box. The Kent Closures website can also be used to find out if other services in Kent are open or closed, such as nurseries, children’s centres and libraries. We also recommend parents sign up for Email alerts on the Kent Closures website, for details of how to do this please see the document below. Parents can also listen to KMFM, BBC Radio Kent or Heart FM to hear if the school has closed. 
• Via the text service we use to communicate with you.
• Via the school website/app.
• Via the school Facebook page.