Severe Weather Policy
SCHOOL AIMS:
- To promote a culture of excellence in teaching and learning.
- To provide a broad and balanced curriculum that reflects the international nature of the DBIS student community.
- To encourage internationalism and develop intercultural understanding, providing students with the skills, dispositions, and knowledge to participate in an increasingly inter-connected world.
- To ensure a supportive, happy and secure environment for learning.
- To develop leadership skills and a sense of service to others through a range of extra-curricular opportunities locally and internationally.
- To encourage the physical and emotional wellbeing of each individual.
- To use innovative pedagogy and technology to enrich learning.
- To work in partnership with parents, alumni and the local and wider community in the ongoing development of the school.
- To foster a learning community where every student, teacher, staff member, parent and DBIS alumni has an ongoing passion for learning.
RATIONALE:
The safety of all staff and students at Discovery Bay International School is of paramount importance. The extremes of weather in Hong Kong can expose residents to high risk. As residents of Hong Kong, we are bound by the laws of Hong Kong and accordingly, by the directives of the Education Bureau. Our school will comply with all directives of the Education Bureau and follow any such requirements related to weather warnings, in the best interests of our students and staff member’s safety.
Discovery Bay International School is responsible for the safety of students while we are open for instruction. Wet weather presents additional risks that must be understood by staff and managed consistently.
PURPOSES:
1. To ensure, as best possible, the safety of all students and staff members when attending school.
2. To provide clear safety provisions for students relating to classroom control and movement around our school.
3. To establish consistent wet weather guidelines for all staff and students during all periods of the school day.
4. For our school community to have information related to when our school is deemed to be ‘open for instruction’.
5. To provide timely information to our school community, in the event of an Education Bureau ‘directed school closure’.
GUIDELINES:
1. All staff members must ensure that they are familiar with the required and specified guidelines of this policy and in the Emergency Procedures Policy.
2. The following actions, noted within the guidelines below, are required to be taken by staff at our school, as directed by the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), during Typhoon Signal Warnings and Rainstorm Warnings.
3. Students are permitted to move around school in the accepted manner during reasonable rainfall.
4. Students are required to stay undercover where at all possible during reasonable rainfall and to move sensibly at walking pace.
5. Students will still be permitted to attend scheduled before school, snack time, lunch time or after school activities during reasonable rainfall, where these activities are under cover.
6. The library will remain open at scheduled times during reasonable rainfall, however there is a maximum of 40 students in the library. All other indoor snack and lunch time activities will operate with their respective maximum student numbers during reasonable rainfall, but not during heavy rain.
7. In the event of a Heavy Rain Warning being declared and / or when determined and communicated by senior staff, all students will be required to stay in the classroom they are learning in, at the time of the signal being communicated, under the supervision of their teacher or education assistant, until the situation has eased, as notified by SLT.
SCHOOL CLOSURE
8. As soon as the Education Bureau (EdB) advises that either our EYFS, Primary or Secondary School is to be closed, the Director of IT will post a notice on the front page of our school website and initiate an email communication with our parent community accordingly. If the Director of IT is unavailable, a member of the IT team as designated by the IT Director or Principal will initiate the communication.
9. In the event of a full day closure the school will post all online activities (Seesaw or Google Classroom for EYFS and Primary, and Google Classroom for Secondary) by 8.30am.
10. Typhoon Signal Number 1: DBIS EYFS & Primary and Secondary Schools will operate as normal.
11. Typhoon Signal Number 3 or above: DBIS EYFS campus will be closed. The Primary and Secondary Schools will operate as normal. EYFS staff members are expected to be in school in the event of a T3 closure.
12. Typhoon Signal Number 8 or Above: All phases of the school will be closed. Staff must not be in school when a T8 related closure has been declared, prior to the start of the school day.
13. Lowering to Typhoon Signal Number 3: If Signal 8 is lowered to T3 before 5.30 am, the Primary and Secondary school will open, unless otherwise directed by the EdB. Our EYFS campus will remain closed with Typhoon Signal Number 3 in force on the following day. If the Signal is lowered to T3 during the working day, staff are expected to make their way into work within 2 hours of the signal being lowered (teachers and EAs may continue to work from home).
14. Lowering to Typhoon Signal Number 1: EYFS, Primary and Secondary Schools will operate as normal with Typhoon Signal Warning Number 1.
If the Typhoon signal is lowered from Signal Number 3 to Signal Number 1 before 11.00 am, the EYFS Campus afternoon sessions will proceed from 12.30 pm and parents will be informed by email by the Head of EYFS & Primary or designated SLT member.
15. In the event of the Typhoon Warning Signals being raised during the morning to a Typhoon Signal Number 3, EYFS parents will be notified by the Head of EYFS & Primary or designated SLT member and encouraged to collect their children from classrooms. Staff will maintain a collection register and will continue to care for students until they have been safely collected.
16. The pre-8 signal indicates that the observatory expects to raise the Signal 8 within two hours, giving families the opportunity to be prepared. In the event of a pre-8 signal during the day, FS-1 to Year 13 parents will be notified by the school. EYFS and Primary parents will be encouraged to collect their children from classrooms. Children in Years 3–6 will be dismissed if their parent has previously completed the 'Permission for students to walk home unaccompanied (Y3-Y6)' Jotform to authorise their child to go home unaccompanied. Secondary students will be dismissed unless their parent has previously completed the ‘Secondary Students Severe Weather School Dismissal’ form to request that their child be kept at school in such circumstances until collected. Across the school, staff will maintain a collection/dismissal register and will continue to care for students who remain at school until they have been safely collected.
17. Amber Rainstorm Warning: DBIS EYFS, Primary and Secondary Schools will operate as normal.
18. Red or Black Rainstorm Warning:
a. If a Red or Black Rainstorm Warning is issued by 6.00 am, before the start of the day, DBIS EYFS, Primary and Secondary Schools will be closed all day for students. Staff may come into school on a Red Rainstorm Warning but not on a Black Rainstorm Warning.
b. If a Red or Black Rainstorm Warning is issued from 6.00 - 8.00 am the School premises will remain closed however, for students who are already travelling to school, they should decide whether it is safe to proceed with their journey to school or return home. For students who have already arrived at school, staff will remain on campus to supervise until it is safe for children to be collected.
c. If a Red or Black Rainstorm Warning is issued after 8.00 am all phases of the school will open as usual. Students are encouraged to come into school as soon as it is safe for them to do so. Students will not be registered as late or absent. Students will be kept in classes (including specialist lessons) and not moved around the school during Black and Red rainstorm warnings, and kept in school until it is safe for them to leave.
d. If a Red or Black Rainstorm Warning is in force and/or is expected to potentially be in force at the end of a school day, an email will be sent to parents at midday (or as soon as possible). EYFS & Primary parents will have the option to come and collect their child early. In the case of a Red Rainstorm warning, children in Years 3–6 will be dismissed if their parent has previously completed the 'Permission for students to walk home unaccompanied (Y3-Y6)' Jotform to authorise their child to go home unaccompanied. In the case of a Black Rainstorm warning, all EYFS and Primary children will be kept at school unless parents give the school specific permission on the day to leave under those circumstances. Secondary students will be dismissed unless their parent has previously completed the ‘Secondary Students Severe Weather School Dismissal’ form to request that their child be kept at school in such circumstances until collected. Across the school, staff will maintain a collection/dismissal register and will continue to care for students who remain at school until they have been safely collected.
e. If the signal is lowered from Red or Black during the school day, staff are expected to make their way into school within 2 hours of the signal being lowered (teachers and EAs can continue working from home and are not required to be in school).
f. During severe weather staff are encouraged to check their emails, the school website, the HK Observatory website and SMS messages. The school’s campuses are closed to staff and students when Typhoon 8 or above and / or the Black rain signal is in force.
19. The Principal, or delegated SLT staff member reserves the right to close the school, should conditions at any time present as a hazard, or as unsafe for our students and / or staff members. In any such instance, the Principal, or delegated SLT staff member will contact the Supervisor to keep them informed accordingly.
CONCLUSION:
Discovery Bay International School is bound by the regulations determined by the Education Bureau of Hong Kong (EdB). In all cases, our school will abide by the warnings as required by the Hong Kong Government and as issued through the Hong Kong Observatory. Our school will take all reasonable steps to act in the safest interests of our students and staff members. Please note that the above Guidelines will be followed as is considered most practical by the Principal and Senior Leadership Team.
Appendix A: Severe Heat Warning
On the issuing of a Severe Heat Warning, the following precautions will be taken for outdoor Physical Education (and equivalent) lessons:
- When engaged in outdoor activities, students will have added drink breaks
- Outdoor lessons will have reduced physical exertion
- Additional rest time will be provided, and shelter for outdoor PE lessons
- Students will be encouraged to wear hats (compulsory for Early Years and Primary Students)
- Sun cream will be available
- Students with medical conditions will be supported accordingly.
Created: 17.06.2022
Last Reviewed: 25.06.2025
Marc Morris
Principal