Sometimes it becomes necessary to close a school either during the course of a school day, at the beginning of the day or with one or several days notice. There is an expectation that schools will remain open in all but the most severe circumstances but sometimes this is just not possible.
This section of the website provides information about what to consider before closing your school and the action you must take if this becomes necessary. On the pages below you can find the password required for media stations and key contact numbers for the Local Authority, building contractors and utility companies.
Please login to view confidential information and the school closures password.
What is the procedure to follow if I need to close a school as a result of an emergency situation, adverse weather or loss of utility services?
Action 1 - inform parents and staff. Information about local media stations and the closure password can be found in the secure page below.
Action 2 - inform your home to school transport contractors
Action 3 - inform the Local Authority
Whilst your priority is to inform parents first, it is also critical that you make us aware of your school closure as early as possible in order that we can publicise this information on the County Council website, which is used by parents, members of the public and the media to check on the status of individual schools (the site can have over 6,000 visitors to the school closures page daily during the winter) and respond to calls from individual parental enquiries or complaints. We are also often required to provide daily school closure lists to the DfE for the Secretary of State's information.
Report a closure by:
- emailing Lisa.cowley@northyorks.gov.uk (with the words "school closure" in the subject line)
- Please state your school's name, DfE number and your name/job role, whether this is a full or partial closure and reason for closure.
If you are seeking guidance please email lisa.cowley@northyorks.gov.uk using the subject "School Closure Advice Required" and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
