Context

Woodend Primary School aims to provide a ‘safe’ environment for students, staff, families and visitors. At times, weather conditions can place people on our school grounds in unsafe situations. The Inclement Weather Policy provides procedures, which will maximise the safety of every person on our school site.

Definitions

Inclement weather includes:

• extreme high temperatures
• high UV levels
• heavy rain or hail
• strong winds
• severe dust or electrical storm

The leadership team will monitor, daily weather forecasts (Bureau of Meteorology) and identify any potential inclement weather risks. ‘Hot weather policy’ will be enacted if the weather forecast for Noarlunga is 36C or greater.

Hot Weather

The following procedures will be enacted throughout the school on ‘hot weather policy’ days.

RECESS AND LUNCH BREAKS

Woodend Primary School does not close because of hot weather. All classrooms and general purpose learning areas across the school are air-conditioned.

When the temperature on any given day at 10.45am or 12:45pm is 36 degrees or more:

Inclement Siren will ring (3 short blasts) and students will remain inside their classrooms supervised by teachers who will share supervision duties between adjoining classes. Specialist teachers will report to the leadership team and will provide release for any teachers with no adjoining class or who are required to be on yard duty outside during the day.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION LESSONS

In line with our Sun Smart Policy, PE lessons will be modified to accommodate the heat. The PE teacher will have priority for using the gym on these days to enable the program to continue in a suitably modified fashion. Frequent water breaks will be provided. There will be no outside PE lessons by PE teacher or classroom teachers after 11:05 am on ‘Hot Weather Policy’ days.

HOMEWORK

Students will not be set any written homework on nights of extreme heat.

SCHOOL SPORTS AND PRACTICES

Sporting matches and practices will be cancelled on “Hot Weather Policy” days. Exceptions to this rule are possible, eg an air-conditioned stadium or for sports that start and finish early in the day. Having made a risk assessment, the Principal may approve a match or practice. Coaches/ coordinators are responsible for communicating this decision to players and parents.

For out of school hours sports the ‘Hot Weather Policy’ will be applied on a day when a forecast maximum for Noarlunga of 36C or greater is reported on the Bureau Of Meteorology website at 4:00pm the day before.

Wet Weather

If the person on duty in the Front Office observes at 10.45am or 12.55pm that it is raining the bell will be rung to signal wet weather and students will remain inside their classrooms. If rain begins during a play period the teacher on duty in the Terrace yard duty area will send in a messenger requesting the rain bell to be rung.

When ‘wet weather policy’ is enacted children will play indoors. Students will be supervised in classrooms by class teachers, who will share supervision duties between adjoining classes. Specialist teachers will report to the leadership team and will provide release for any teachers with no adjoining class or who are required to be on yard duty outside during the day.

If the weather clears with 10 minutes left of recess or lunch play the principal or a delegated representative will ring a one-bell siren, signalling a return to play time.
Normal duties will resume.

Consultation will occur with the groundsman if the oval or another area of the yard is too wet and not suitable for students to play. Staff will be informed if this occurs via the daybook.

Other weather conditions

The School may elect to implement restrictions where local conditions are severe and pose an increased risk for student participation. These conditions could include excessive wind, hail or electrical storm.

A decision will be made by the Leadership Team, in collaboration with key staff, to discern the impact of potential weather conditions on the safety of students.

At all times, the expertise of the Bureau of Meteorology will be acknowledged and utilized to ensure the safest decision can be made to maximize student safety.

As Woodend Primary school is not identified as a high-risk school, we will not be closed on high fire risk days of forecast catastrophic (Code Red) bushfire weather conditions.


Reviewed October 2020