Aberdeenshire Council Guidance on School Closures

Aberdeenshire Council Website

https://online.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/Apps/schools-closures/

You also have the option to sign up to receive email alerts when your school(s) updates their closure status:

https://online.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/myAberdeenshire/

When will School be closed?

The Head Teacher will decide if and when Tarves School should close due to bad weather or another emergency such as loss of power, heating, water etc. These guidelines outline the procedures for dealing with school closures during bad weather or another emergency.

In bad weather, a closure decision will be made after receiving information about local weather conditions. This decision can be made at any time, day or night.  We work in partnership with parents and carers to ensure the safety of the children is of paramount importance.

Should the school have to close before the start of the school day:

During adverse weather, some staff may not be able to get to school or travel routes may not be safe.  Should we feel the need to close the school, we will advise parents and carers using the above communication tools.   Local radio stations are also a good place to find information on school closures. Local radio stations receive updated information every 30 mins from our website.

Should the school have to close during the school day:

If the school needs to close early, we will contact you by text and follow-up email.  No child will be released from school to someone who is not the parent or emergency contact without explicit instructions from the parent.  Therefore, it is important that the details we hold for you and your chosen emergency contact are up to date.

If you are concerned about local weather conditions, please contact the school.  You may wish to collect your child yourself and are free to do so provided you make arrangements with the school beforehand.

School Transport operators are required to provide the necessary vehicles to transport the pupils home at the earliest opportunity.  School transport contractors have been told not to allow children to walk home alone from drop-off points under any circumstances during extreme weather conditions.  If you can’t meet or arrange for your child to be met, the school transport will return them to a designated location.

School Transport in Adverse Weather

During periods of adverse weather, some or all home-to-school transport services may not operate, or alternatively, operate a curtailed service depending upon local road conditions.  Any decision to cancel or amend the operation of some or all school transport services to Tarves School will be made by the bus operator following consultation with the Head Teacher. This decision will be made with regard to the prevailing and forecast weather and road conditions, along with any advice from Police Scotland and/or any other appropriate agency.

In the event of the journey to school being cancelled by the operator on the grounds of adverse weather conditions, the operator will not be responsible for conveying pupils home in the afternoon. In such circumstances, parents of pupils who normally travel on school transport are asked not to bring their children to school themselves.  Should parents ignore this advice, and, at their own risk, bring their children to school, the parents then become responsible for conveying their children home again at the end of the school day, or earlier, if it becomes necessary to send all pupils home and close the school due to worsening weather conditions.

Information will normally be posted on the council’s school closure web pages.  However, it is not always possible to alert parents of service cancellations or route variations within a short timescale, depending upon developing localised weather conditions. As such, pupils should wait no longer than 20 minutes at the designated pick-up point, and, if no school transport vehicle arrives, return home.

It is crucial that parents/carers retain a means of communication with their children should the school transport service not operate, and it must be stressed that the responsibility for the safety and welfare of children prior to boarding the school transport service remains with the parent or carer.

School Transport Contact Information

TEL: 01467 533335             Email: schooltransport@aberdeenshire.gov.uk