Emergency Weather Conditions

08 January 2010

Dear Parents

Happy New Year to everyone from a snowy and sunny Wycombe Abbey that looks stunningly beautiful. I expect that you are all aware of the rather challenging weather conditions in certain parts of the UK at present, including Central and Southern England. You will no doubt be wondering about our preparations to receive your daughter back for the new term.

Firstly, we have been expediting our arrangements for twenty public examination candidates who return to school during the weekend to sit exams on Monday; we have been notified that these examinations will continue as scheduled. We are also working across the whole site so that we are ready to receive the rest of the school on Tuesday. Because of limited parking available on site, however, the UIV Parents' Meeting has had to be postponed. Alternative arrangements will be notified once weather conditions have improved.

In all areas of the site, the domestic staff have been busy cleaning Houses, checking the heating, stocking food supplies and generally getting us up and running. To this usual activity the estates staff have added the temporary acquisition of a bulldozer to clear away snow from key areas of the site. Paths are also being slowly cleared.

Please would you send your daughter back with supplementary warm winter clothing. We would like each girl to bring, in addition to her normal clothes, a warm coat, hat, gloves, socks, scarf and boots, preferably rubber or leather with good grips (Ug type boots are warm wear in House but give no traction on ice). During this period of acute winter weather we will waive colour restrictions on warm external clothing which should be worn in addition to the Wycombe Abbey uniform.

Your daughter should also bring two plastic bags bearing her name, one small into which she can place indoor shoes and one large into which she can place her outdoor boots for when she is inside the school building. She will need these every day while the snow lasts. As part of her luggage, she should pack an overnight bag, since some Houses, certainly the Outhouses (see below) but also possibly Junior House and Clarence in the event of further heavy snow will need to leave their heavier suitcase(s) in Big School. She will need to carry her overnight bag up to her House, decanting her things in small batches during the following day, if necessary, although we will aim to deliver any such cases to Houses as soon as possible.

As I have mentioned, we are battling to make all areas of the School accessible by car, however, because of the volume of snow this is frequently single-track only with only limited passing places and, in all areas, cleared snow has severely reduced the amount of parking available. However, barring further heavy snow, we believe the following arrangements will allow you to return your daughters safely to school on Tuesday:

Clarence	Restricted vehicle access but minimal parking. Please enter through the Clarence gates, drop off your daughter and her luggage as quickly as possible and exit via the old swimming pool gates.
Abbey	As usual, park by front of Abbey or by the kitchens to unload.
Daws Hill	Vehicle access restricted through Crispin Way gate only. Reduced parking because of cleared snow. Please drop off daughter and luggage as normal but as quickly as possible.
Junior House	Restricted vehicle access and parking, entry and exit only via Rupert Lodge gate. Please drop off daughter and luggage and move away as soon as possible. Please do not try to drive to any other destination within the School grounds from Junior House.
Outhouses	Severely limited direct vehicle access, no parking. Please park outside Bursary/School Dining Room/Gym Courtyard. Drop off heavy bags, clearly labelled with name and House in Big School, and proceed on foot to Outhouses with overnight bag.

As you can imagine the snow has further complicated arrangements which are difficult at the best of times. But we believe that if parents conform to the arrangements set out above the situation should be manageable, albeit requiring even more forbearance than usual. The golden rules are:

- Please minimise the time you park to allow others access.

- Please conform to the entry and exit points as specified above. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES ATTEMPT TO TRAVEL TO/FROM DAWS HILL USING THE INTERNAL ROAD UP THE HILL VIA THE HEADMISTRESS'S HOUSE.

If you are able to bring your daughter to School earlier to help reduce traffic congestion perhaps you could discuss this with your daughter's Housemistress.

As I write, no more snow is falling and we are optimistic that our weekly supplies of fuel and food will arrive as usual. Conditions can change quite quickly of course and so I would ask you to check your email and the school website on Monday and before your daughter starts her return journey in case we have to change our arrangements. Any international students or others with long journeys who have had to start their journeys early will, of course, be accommodated as a matter of priority and meals provided whatever the general arrangements that we have to make for the whole school.

With every good wish for 2010.

Yours sincerely

Cynthia Hall