New Zealand is a country that is exposed to severe weather conditions. In more recent times the Canterbury area has also managed a number of earthquakes. There is always a possibility for an unforeseen emergency situation to occur that will require an emergency response. Managing an emergency situation effectively to ensure safety and well being comes down to three simple rules:

Being prepared
Communication
Work as a team

Being Prepared!

The school has a comprehensive Health and Safety Policy. This Policy includes Hazard Management and Emergency Management procedures that detail a range of Emergency Response Plans. All staff are provided the opportunity to be First Aid certified and are provided Health and Safety training.

Your child’s safety and well being is our primary concern. We will do everything necessary to ensure that appropriate care is given to your children. We have planned for an emergency situation where a parent or caregiver may be delayed from picking their child up from school. In this situation a teacher will be allocated to care for your child and the principal retains responsibility for all children until such time they are passed on to a parent or caregiver.

Information relating to Emergency Management is regularly communicated to the community with reference information available on the school’s website. Communication procedures have been established with the goal to maintain open lines of communication if an emergency strikes.

Parents and guardians need to ensure the school is provided with up to date contact information so that we can efficiently communicate with them and keep them informed. Sometimes a parent may be prevented from picking their child up and a friend or family member may be asked to step in. Parents can prepare for such an event by informing the school who has permission to pick your child up in an emergency. In an emergency situation children will not be released to adults not on the emergency list. So please keep the school updated with emergency contact information.

Communication and Teamwork

The school uses a range of tools to communicate with the community. These tools include: the school newsletter, website, facebook, Parent app, email, and telephone. In an emergency situation the school will endeavour to:

Post a message on facebook - https://www.facebook.com/DarfieldSchool/
Post a message on the school web page - http://www.darfieldprimary.school.nz/Home/
Send out a notification via the @etap Parent app - free download from the app store
Send an emergency txt
Leave a message on the school’s phone system - 03 3188473

We rely on technology to communicate with a large quantity of people quickly. However technology is not fail safe and can be affected by power or network outages or delivery faults. As these issues are out of our control, we do not guarantee that all messages will get through. This is the reason why we do not rely only on one method of communication. Parents need to take responsibility for keeping themselves informed. You can do this by reading the school newsletter and regularly checking your email, txts and the school website.

School closure, Emergency Response or Bus route cancellation or a sudden alteration to the pick up or drop off time.

The bus company makes the call to cancel a bus route. This information is passed onto the school principal who works with the office staff to send an email or txt to families advising them of the route cancellation or alteration. A notice will also be posted on the school’s facebook and website. Parents and caregivers are required to contact the school to advise us of the alternative pick up arrangement.

Please note that the school needs to ensure that all children are safe when they are dropped off by the bus. In the event that the route times have suddenly been changed and we have not received a response from parents, the child will not be permitted to travel on the bus and will remain at school until parents have confirmed pick up arrangements.

School Closure before 8am

The principal will make the decision to close the school. The principal and office staff will send a txt or email to families advising them of the closure. A notice will also be posted on the school’s facebook page and website.

School Closure after 9am

The principal will make the decision to close the school. The principal and office staff will send a txt or email to families advising them of the closure. A notice will also be posted on the school’s facebook and website. Children will be located at a safe place (classroom or hall) until they either get on the school bus (if the route is operating) or they are picked up by a parent or caregiver. Parents or caregivers picking children up must inform the supervising teacher they are removing the child from the school. As the number of students decreases, the students may be relocated to the administration area. In extreme cases the principal may deem it appropriate to drop a child home. The school must be certain that a caregiver of a legal age is home to care for the child. Alternatively safe accommodation with a teacher may be organised in an extreme case where a caregiver can not pick up a child.

Darfield Primary School

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