A school closure can affect work, transport and childcare at the same time. The useful preparation is an agreed collection process with the school, not a promise that you will reach the gate regardless of the conditions.
Use the school's actual arrangements
Check which channel the school uses for closures and which adults it has authorised to collect your child. Confirm contact numbers, any collection password and the process if your usual adult is delayed. In England, official education guidance supports emergency planning; arrangements elsewhere depend on the setting and local system. Ask how the school will identify a replacement collector if its usual messaging system is unavailable.
- Keep a paper copy of the school's number.
Choose a realistic backup adult
Ask someone who already knows the child and can realistically help without making a dangerous journey. Discuss accessibility, car seats and any care information needed for a short stay. Do not assume an informal family agreement overrides the school's safeguarding rules. The school must know who is authorised before an incident.
- Tell the backup adult when plans change.
Explain the child's part calmly
Use a short message: stay with staff, follow their instructions and do not leave with an unexpected person. Older children travelling independently need a separate plan for cancelled buses or trains. If roads are unsafe, contact the school and follow its instructions rather than improvising a collection through floodwater or storm debris.
- Rehearse the plan without frightening scenarios.
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