Waterfield Primary School
Severe Weather
Policy
June 2015
Contents
Met Office alerts
Severe weather
Ice and snow
Hot weather
Sun protection in school
Heat exhaustion and heat stroke
Example letter
Met Office Alerts
The Met Office provides warnings about forecast weather hazards through its
website. Schools should look out for these alerts and take suitable precautions to
protect occupants and premises.
Severe weather
Severe weather warnings cover the following weather-related hazards:
Sun
Rain
Wind
Snow
Ice
Fog
The most likely severe weather to have an adverse effect upon the operation of a
school is ice, snow or flooding caused by heavy and persistent rainfall. High winds
can sometimes cause damage to property or to trees.
Ice and snow
Schools should establish a stock of rock salt and grit, sufficient for keeping paths
clear of ice in wintry weather. It is only necessary to treat those routes that must be
used by pedestrians to enter and leave the school, move between buildings, and any
fire escape routes that have been affected. Use barriers or signposts to warn people
not to use any treacherous routes that you have not treated.
It is generally impractical to treat large car parking areas, but you may need to treat
some areas of a car park, to reduce the risk of people slipping and injuring
themselves, especially where there will be high pedestrian traffic such as the route
people take to walk in or out of the car park.
Be prepared to treat paths more than once per day if temperatures fluctuate and
melted snow or ice will begin to freeze again before people leave the premises.
There is no reason why volunteers cannot be used to clear snow from school
grounds but the following sensible precautions are suggested, to reduce the risk of
accident or injury:
1. Clothing and footwear should reflect the conditions.
2. People should be encouraged to take regular breaks, especially if they are unused
to the level of physical effort involved.
3. Volunteers are responsible for supervising any accompanying children.
Hot weather
The Met Office also provides a Heat Health Watch service from 1 June to 15
September. Alerts are published on the Met Office website.
The thresholds for hot weather alerts are :
1. Temperatures are expected to exceed a threshold of 31°C for two or more
consecutive days, with the night in between being at least 16°C.
2. There is a 60% chance of temperatures being high enough on at least two
consecutive days to have significant effects on health.
There are four alert levels:
Level 1 - Summer preparedness and long-term planning
This is the minimum state of vigilance during the summer.
Level 2 - Alert and readiness
Triggered as soon as threshold temperatures are forecast for at least two to three
days ahead or forecast that there is a 60 per cent chance of temperatures being high
enough (31°C daytime and 16°C at night for the south east).
Level 3 - Heatwave action
Triggered when the Met Office confirms threshold temperatures have been reached
for one day and the following night. The forecast will include the likely duration and
temperatures of the heatwave.
Level 4 - Emergency
Reached when a heatwave is so severe and/or prolonged that its effects extend
outside the health and social care system. At this level, illness and death may occur
among the fit and healthy, and not just in high-risk groups.
Schools should make preparations to ensure the wellbeing of staff and students.
Preparing your premises:
Check that windows can be shaded, particularly those that receive the full glare from
the sun at the hottest time of the day.
Ensure windows can be safely opened to provide additional ventilation.
Ensure that any air-conditioning systems are serviced and functioning correctly and
that building occupants know how to optimise their effectiveness by keeping doors
and windows shut.
Consider providing electric fans in areas with poor ventilation, high levels of heat
producing equipment and where particularly vulnerable people may be present,
such as IT suites (unless air conditioned) and first aid rooms.
Make sure sufficient electric sockets are available for additional portable electric
fans but do not overload fixed electrical distribution systems.
Ensure sufficient Thermometers are available to monitor indoor temperatures
throughout the premises, particularly in areas which tend to become hot, such as
rooms without windows, IT suites and first aid rooms.
Ensure there is sufficient provision of drinking water to all staff, students and
visitors.
Provide shaded areas where students and staff can shelter from the sun during
outdoor breaks from lessons.
Make sure any freezers and refrigerators used to store food are operating correctly;
fit thermometers and monitor them regularly.
Staff and student welfare
Develop a hot weather contingency plan to include the following elements:
preparing the premises for a period of hot weather;
monitoring for hot weather alerts;
provision of information to staff, students and parents/carers;
arrangements for cessation of activities with high risk of
dehydration/heat exhaustion;
arrangements for closing schools if extremely hot conditions prevail for a
prolonged period;
plans should be flexible enough to cope with both short or long periods of
hot weather and capable of being deployed at short notice;
be prepared to relax dress codes to permit more comfortable clothing
(loose fitting, lightweight, light coloured garments are best);
encourage consumption of water rather than tea/coffee/sugary drinks,
which can promote dehydration;
encourage use of hats and sun block of at least factor 15 for outdoor
activities;
avoid outdoor activities during the hottest part of the day (11.00am to
3.00pm); and
ensure all staff are aware of the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion
and heat stroke and first aid providers know how to treat suspected
cases.
Sun protection in school
Establishments should develop their own policies regarding the application of
sunscreen.
It is up to the school to decide whether to allow self-application. For example,
secondary age pupils may be deemed as responsible enough to apply sunscreen
themselves but primary age pupils may not achieve sufficient coverage without
assistance. The sunscreen used should be SPF15 or higher. Time spent in the sun
should still be limited. Children should be encouraged to wash their hands following
self application.
A standard letter has been developed for establishments that do not wish pupils to
apply sunscreen themselves. This informs parents of the school's concern for pupils
who are likely to be exposed to the sun during the school day. It recommends that
parents take appropriate action that will ensure that the risks are minimised. It is
now possible to purchase suntan lotion that provides 8 hours of protection following
one application reducing the need for lotion to be applied in school.
Applying sunscreen - There may be occasions, particularly if a child is very young or
has special needs, where a member of staff may be required to apply lotion. In such
cases, staff should apply the sun cream when another adult is present, and a
protocol should be established. At least one of the adults present should have been
DBS -checked.
Sun protection on off-site visits
Sun creams and screens of a sufficiently high factor should be used: SPF15 or higher.
Where the children or young people have not brought their own, hypo allergenic sun
screen should be provided. To minimise the risk of cross-infection, the sun screen
should be poured onto the child’s or young person’s hand from above in the style of
a ‘soap dispenser’.
Heat exhaustion and heat stroke
Signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion include:
thirst;
dizziness, weak and uncoordinated movements;
excessive sweating or sometimes no sweating at all;
body temperature is normal;
pulse may be normal or a little raised;
leg cramps;
Oedematous/swollen legs;
irritability;
headache; and
nausea or vomiting.
Treatment for suspected heat exhaustion:
rest the person in a cool place;
encourage plenty of fluids to be taken;
cool the person down as quickly as possible by spraying them with cool water (use
plant sprayers) and use a fan to speed up evaporation of the water (keep repeating
the process);
monitor the person’s temperature;
phone NHS 111 to seek advice about the person’s condition;
do not give paracetamol or aspirin without seeking advice.
Signs and symptoms of heat stroke
As for heat exhaustion, plus:
altered mental state including hallucinations, confusion, disorientation or coma;
intense thirst;
rapid and shallow breathing; and
convulsions and loss of consciousness.
Treatment for suspected heat stroke
Where heat stroke is suspected or there is uncertainty over the seriousness of the
condition of any person affected by heat, summon an ambulance and carry out the
treatment described for heat exhaustion.
Maximum classroom temperatures
Guidance published by the Department for Education states:
Heat stress and dehydration can be serious problems at temperatures above 35°C,
so this should be regarded as the maximum reasonable temperature for prolonged
periods of time in a school classroom.
Healthy children should be able to cope with the uncomfortably hot conditions up to
this temperature, provided they are given generous supplies of cool water to drink.
More sensitive children may experience problems at much lower temperatures and
school staff need to watch for signs of heat stress at temperatures above 28°C.
Schools may need to augment their existing arrangements for providing drinking
water to ensure the children drink enough, and should remember that the amount
of water delivered through drinking water fountains is small.
Example Letter to send to parents on exposure to the sun
Dear Parent/Guardian
Exposure to the Sun
It is expected that your child, during the school day, will be exposed to the sun.
There is concern that over exposure to the sun can be harmful.
To protect the skin from these harmful effects, it is recommended that pupils wear
sun hats and light coloured, loose fitting tops with collars.
The application of an appropriate sunscreen before school will help to protect the
skin. We recommend the use of sunscreens that provide up to 8 hours of protection.
I am sure you understand that it would not be appropriate for staff to apply
sunscreen to pupils. It is requested that your child does not bring sun protection
products to school.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Yours sincerely
Headteacher