WE would like to thank parents and carers for the fantastic support they have given Tavistock College during the adverse weather.

We have received dozens of emails and phone calls thanking us for our clear communication and early decision making which allowed parents to plan ahead.

Arrangements were published on the Tavistock College and Devon County Council websites and broadcast on local radio to ensure the community was fully aware of closures. From January 1 to 15, the college website was viewed 43,728 times. In the whole of December it was viewed 9,706 times, so we know parents and students were regularly checking for updates.

Tavistock College educates over 1,700 students and employs 250 staff who live in an area approximately 80 miles in length and 25 miles wide. Our students travel to school on over 20 buses and our grounds staff care for a site of almost 100,000 square metres.

With buses cancelled by Devon County Council, ice and snow across the college and many roads impassable, it was quite simply not safe to continue operating.

Many of you will have seen the country roads strewn with wrecked vehicles, cars stuck in hedges and 4x4s on their sides. Other drivers were forced to stay with friends as they could not reach their homes. Had we opened, there was a serious risk that our students — some as young as 11-years-old — could have been stranded at the college or involved in an accident. That is not a situation we were willing to place students in. To avoid this, we closed early on Tuesday January 5 and 12.

Two members of staff had accidents — one while trying to reach college on Tuesday 5, and another while driving home on Tuesday 12. Thankfully they were not injured.

Despite being forced to close — in line with Devon County Council guidance and the decisions of other schools — Tavistock College staff worked phenomenally hard to ensure students' education would not be negatively impacted. Teachers spent the closure period on the phone and in email contact with students to help them with revision, coursework and homework. Relevant and suitable work was placed on our website so all students could continue their study while at home.

Had we taken the decision to open with a seriously reduced staff, we may well have found ourselves having merely to supervise students in a venue such as the sports hall, instead of teaching them. This would have done nothing for their progress. One teacher cannot give appropriate individual work and attention to 60 or more students. Instead, teachers liaised directly with many students to ensure their particular needs were met and materials were provided so they could work constructively at home.

Once again, we would like to thank the community for the tremendous support shown, as well as our dedicated staff who have worked incredibly hard throughout.

Colin Eves

Principal, Tavistock College

Mandy Govier

Chair of Tavistock College Board of Governors, and a Tavistock College parent