What you need to do to close your school
Schools closed today
- Go to Bradford Schools Online and click on the ‘Closed Schools’ button on the home page
- You will see a list of schools currently closed
- Click on the 'School Closure' button (only available to Level 1 users)
- You will be asked to log in using your existing Bradford Schools Online log in credentials to ensure only authorised people can close schools.
- Complete the new page and click the submit button. You will get emailed confirmation of the school’s closure.
That’s it! The information you will need to provide is the first and last date of your closure; any new emergency contact details if there will be no-one at your school; the reason for closure and any special notes you wish to be published
for example 'Yr 5 panto trip is still on' or 'Yr11 mocks are gong ahead as planned'. You do not need to provide school details as the system knows these from your log in, so the process is quick.
What happens next?
The system will immediately notify all subscribers, including Bradford Council, Local Radio Stations and the Telegraph and Argus, of your closure via an RSS ("Really Simple Syndication") feed. The recipients can use this feed to immediately update their
own web sites and announcements. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed to publish to your own school’s web site, etc.
You can also view the RSS feed through a viewer such as Google Reader, Microsoft Outlook (2007+), and Mozilla Thunderbird.
If you have closed your school for more than one day subscribers will be notified on each relevant day.
Who can close the school?
Any Level 1 user of Bradford Schools Online at your school can close your school. You can check and change the names of your Level 1 users through the
Access Register
in the ‘Our School’ section of Bradford Schools Online. Level 1 users are also listed on your school's page on
School Finder where no login is required. Any internet connected computer in the world can be used.
What if I don’t have internet access?
Every school can have up to three Level 1 users of Bradford Schools Online and therefore it is recommended that at least one has internet access from home. You should then agree between you how you will manage emergency school closures.
Additional information
- You can change your closure information at any time, and all subscribers will be notified immediately.
- You can, when necessary, close your school for more than one day at a time.
- You can, where appropriate, provide closure information in advance
- Everyone gets the same information reducing the risk of confusion
- The service is much speedier
- The service is not dependent upon someone answering a phone
If your query relates to a technical issue with Bradford Schools Online, please see the contact the Technical Support Team.
Responsibilities Regarding the Closure of Schools
- The responsibility for school closure rests with the Local Authority for maintained and controlled schools and with the Governing Body for aided and foundation schools.
It is the LA’s aim to keep schools open if this is at all possible taking full account of the health and safety of staff and pupils.
- All school staff should make every reasonable effort to reach their schools in adverse weather conditions.
Consideration will be given to the nature of journeys staff have to undertake, road conditions, the physical fitness of the individual and the availability of public transport.
There will be members of staff of some schools who already have health problems and for whom the struggle through adverse weather could be positively harmful. It is reasonable for Head teachers to ascertain which members of staff may be so affected and to consider
authorising them to be absent for the duration of exceptionally severe weather conditions.
- In view of the variation in geography and climate throughout the District it would be normal for the Head teacher to make a school closure decision on the grounds of Health and Safety.
Head teachers should ensure that appropriate plans have been made to cover the possibility that they cannot reach their schools after making every reasonable effort. They should instruct, by telephone, the teachers who have managed to reach their schools to
act on their behalf. - Head teachers and staff who have reached their schools should stay there if the physical conditions in the schools are satisfactory even if there are not many children in attendance.
Staff who are not required to teach should use their time in preparatory work/in service training/syllabus revision etc.
Staff of Special Schools and other establishments, whose pupils are entirely dependent upon special transport, who have reached their schools are expected to stay there though there may not be pupils in attendance. Head teachers should be prepared to assign
other tasks to staff. - If the number of staff reaching any school is adequate to cope with the number of pupils who have arrived, and if the school is heated, then the LA would expect the school to remain open. Individual Head teachers must decide if the number of staff present
is adequate to allow appropriate supervision. These pupils (even if their numbers are small) should be provided with appropriate work and should be kept at school as long as the physical conditions are satisfactory and staff are available.
If it is impossible to provide school meals such pupils could be sent home at lunchtime ensuring that a receiving adult is known to be available.
- Head teachers are responsible for making the necessary arrangements following the decision to close including the informing of parents and other agencies as appropriate for example transport. This can be done via
Bradford Schools Online
Exceptional Weather Conditions
In cases of exceptional weather conditions, a decision on whole school closure across the District or areas of the District may be made by the LA. Such a decision would be the exception rather than the rule. Before a decision is made the local weather forecast
and the local traffic reports will be considered and advice may be sought from the Police and the motoring organisations. The information to close schools across the District will be broadcast on the local radio stations from 7 a.m. on the day concerned.