New website will provide latest school closure information

Shropshire Council has launched a new website to enable parents and carers to quickly and easily find out if their child’s school is closed due to bad weather this winter.

The new site – http://new.shropshire.gov.uk/school-closures/ – will be updated once a school informs the council that they plan to close on a particular day.

It will also be used by the county’s radio stations as their primary source of information about which schools in the Shropshire Council area are closed – so parents, carers, teachers and pupils can also listen to their favourite local radio station during periods of bad weather to find out the latest school closure information.

The new website includes pages for primary, secondary and special schools in the Shropshire Council area, and any schools that are closed will be listed alphabetically to make information easy to find.

The date and time of the latest update will also be shown.

The site can be easily viewed on tablets and smart phones, as well as PCs and laptops, meaning people can find the latest information if they are out of the house or away from a radio.

Ann Hartley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for children’s services, said:

“Schools are expected to stay open unless there really is no sensible option but to close – and when closure can’t be avoided we want to let people know as soon as possible.

“This new website will allow parents and carers, teachers and pupils, to quickly and easily find out if their school is closed during spells of bad weather – and I encourage people to bookmark the website address, or keep it safe, ready to use when the wintry weather comes.”

Shropshire Council will continue to operate a school closure helpline this winter during spells of bad weather. Local radio stations will be asked to let people know when the helpline is operating, and the number to call.