The academy will strive to remain open in all but the most challenging of circumstances because we recognise the disruption that our closure causes to our community. In very rare circumstances the academy may be forced to close due to very severe weather, usually heavy snow, the loss of heating and hot water or other serious incident. Please be assured that a decision to close is not taken lightly and will be made in the interest of our students and staff’s safety.
Procedure for the emergency closure of Ormiston Victory Academy
How we will communicate with you:
- The academy will always aim to remain open and will only close if the site is unsafe.
- If we need to close, the decision will be posted on our academy website, via our Twitter account (please follow @VictoryAcad) and via our Facebook, page by 7.00am and a text message to parents and carers will follow these announcements.
- The academy will notify the Norfolk school closure line, www.schoolclosures.norfolk.gov.uk, which will then be broadcasted on local radio stations.
If we need to close during the academy day:
- If we ever need to close the academy part-way through the day, we will text/email all families immediately. We will also display a notice on our website and use Twitter and Facebook feeds to communicate the message. Please ensure that you keep your contact details up to date so you don’t miss these important messages
- If we need to close, we will make sure students let us know their arrangements for getting home safely. We will also encourage students to contact you directly in order to get home safely, if they have the means to do so. Any child who cannot immediately get home will remain in the academy and will be looked after until they can be collected.
- We will take messages from you, however, please be patient, persistent and realistic. We ask parents and carers to avoid ringing us, wherever possible, before we have made the decision to close the academy.
Parents and Carers’ responsibilities:
- Parents must make the best decision for their child/ren based on their own assessment of the risk to travel to and from the academy.
- If you find yourself unable to get your child to the academy, please contact us in the usual way for reporting absence.
During and after closure:
- Students can access their Google Classroom accounts to complete homework and other tasks in the event of the academy closing. It would be advisable for Year 11 and 13 to check their email accounts in case their teachers wish to communicate with them regarding appropriate work.
- It is unlikely the academy will announce a second closure for the following day in advance, so parents and carers should check the academy website/Twitter/Facebook for further information.