School Update: Thursday 9 January 2025

Dear Parents/Carers and Students,

I wanted to thank you, once again, for your immense support today. It has been a really good day of learning for our students and I have been thrilled with their approach and attitude throughout. 

Attendance has been phenomenal and has been even better than yesterday. I have loved spending time talking to students about all manner of things with many wanting me to share how we make decisions about whether to open or close. They are very hopeful we can do so tomorrow and Friday.

I am hoping to be able to open tomorrow but I am really worried about the temperatures overnight. I would like to explain how we arrive at a decision as one or two of you, alongside lots of students, have asked. 

Our site support team begins gritting the site around 4am. That worked well yesterday but not so much today. My business manager, site team and I try to be in school for around 5.30am to walk the site as close to 6:00am. Yesterday we had to wait until after 8:00am to be secure in making a decision to open. Today was slightly different because the 4:00am grit was frozen over by 6:00am. We called the gritters to return to site at 7.30am and it was that second visit this morning that made all the difference. By 8.45am I knew we would be ok but was advised to open a little later to allow the grit to react with the ice. It worked.

Tomorrow we have asked for two gritting sessions at 4:00am and again at 7.30am. We will walk the site at 6:00am and again at 8:00am to check we are safe to open. If the answer is the yes I want, I will seek to open tomorrow at 11:00am for a 11.20am start (Period 3). If not then I will know by 9:00am and will communicate either way as I have tried to do this week.

If open, we will continue with our current approach to our uniform, specifically footwear, in the interests of safety. 

Thank you for your continued patience and support. I am so grateful for the many messages of encouragement and thanks. They really do mean a lot. I know for some you feel we are getting things wrong at every turn and for that I am deeply sorry. What I can assure you is that we are trying hard to get the call right each morning. 

Take care.

Mr Wade, Headteacher