Coming to School
When weather conditions are exceptionally poor the School monitors the Met. Office weather forecasts http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/em/nottingham_ forecast_weather.html very closely, as well as assessing the situation on the ground at School.
The plan for the day will be posted on the home page of the School website http://www.nottinghamhigh.co.uk/ by 6.30 a.m. each morning. Parents must read this message rather than phone the school switchboard. If the School is open, it is for parents to decide whether their son(s) should attend. Boys must register/sign in when they arrive, and they will then be expected to remain at School all day until 4 p.m. unless the Headmaster decides to close the School. It is most important that boys bring adequate outer clothing to school, even if they usually travel by car.
Emergency Closure
The definitive source of all information about closure before 4 p.m. will be the School website (see above). If the weather is so bad that early closure seems advisable, the Headmaster will make a decision, in consultation with the Heads of the other sections of the School. If, as is probable, the time of school buses is to be altered, agreement will also be made with the Headmistress of Nottingham Girls’ High School.
Going Home
If the Headmaster closes the School early, boys will be allowed to go straight home by whatever route seems most likely to be open. It is essential that boys discuss with their parents the route likely to be attempted well before any emergency takes place.
Students must sign out before they leave, and permission to leave will only be given after an authorised member of staff has made a confirmatory phone call to a parent or guardian. Boys will be advised of detailed signing out arrangements on the day.
If a boy has a younger brother in the Junior School, he should report to the Junior School Hall after signing out. The Headmaster of the Junior School will allow him to take his brother home once a parent has given permission.
If a boy is responsible for a younger sister, he should make his way to the Girls’ High School Junior School after signing out, and follow the directions of the Headmistress of the Junior School.
If a boy can only travel by school bus he should sign in and remain in the Library until his bus arrives. The signing in register will be held at Reception so that incoming messages from parents can be passed on quickly. Boys must not wait anywhere else in the buildings.
If a boy is normally collected by parents and has no alternative return route he must also remain in the Library. It is, of course, desirable for alternative routes to have been agreed, otherwise delays incurred by parents struggling into school may be considerable.
If a boy cannot gain access into his home before a particular time he may remain in the Library rather than risk arriving home too early. (We hope this will apply to very few boys.)
Our main line of communication is the website, and we ask parents not to phone the School unless absolutely necessary. Mobile phones are clearly useful in the context of boy/parent discussions. The best way to avoid stressful arrangements on the day is for all boys to establish their own bad weather procedure with their parents well in advance.
If weather conditions deteriorate sharply in an area far from the school (for example Mansfield, Derby or Newark) parents living in that area are free to phone and ask for their sons to be released early and we will give permission for this.
