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Emergency school closures: guidance

Understand when you can close your school in an emergency. Find out how and when to contact your local authority and parents, and how to request an Ofsted inspection deferral due to emergency closure.

Last reviewed on 14 June 2022See updates
School types: All•School phases: All•Ref: 32997
Contents
  1. When can I close the school?
  2. Put in place remote learning
  3. Communicate with your LA and parents
  4. Ofsted deferrals for school closures

When can I close the school?

Severe weather conditions

Some incidences of flooding or snow may mean it's necessary to close your school temporarily due to inaccessibility or risk of injury.

However, you should keep your school open for as many children as you can, and do everything you can to reopen as soon as possible.

See page 8 of the DfE's guidance on emergency planning and responses for education settings. 

Public health incidents

You may be required to temporarily close your school following a significant public health incident, such as a COVID-19 outbreak or confirmed cases of another infectious disease.

This decision may be made at a national or local level depending on the situation. You should work with your local authority (LA), local director of public health and local Health Security Agency (UKHSA) health protection team.

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