Weather Policy

Extreme Weather Conditions – Storms and Typhoons

This section explains our school policy if there is extreme weather such as a tropical cyclone or severe rainstorm. In these situations our school follows the Hong Kong public authorities’ instructions. Please check our website for the latest information and instructions, listen to the radio/TV and visit the Hong Kong Weather Observatory website.

Tropical Cyclones

These policies are:

If schools are not in session when a tropical cyclone is approaching Hong Kong, the Director of Education will, if the circumstances warrant it, make an announcement over all radio and television channels advising parents whether or not to send their children to school. The announcements will be made in the evening or early morning, and will be timed, whenever possible, before children set out from their homes. It is repeated at regular and frequent intervals throughout the day.
On the hoisting of tropical cyclone warning signal Pre-No 8/No. 8 or higher, all schools close. If schools are in session at that time, students will be instructed to go home, provided that safe and adequate arrangements can be made. Bus children will return home, on the school bus, as soon as possible, unless parents are notified otherwise.Students will be let off at their usual stop. It is the responsibility of parents to ensure that someone is at home to receive students, if necessary. It is expected that those children who are usually brought to school by parents or others, will be collected by them immediately.
If schools are in session, and the Director of Education believes that the weather is likely to deteriorate rapidly, he will make a public announcement advising the immediate closing of schools. It is parents' responsibility to listen for this and respond accordingly.
Please note that if the public authorities announce that Kindergartens are closed, this applies to our Reception Year only.
All advice about AISHK cancellation of classes will be flagged on the School website. Please view this site.

Tropical Cyclone Warnings

In the event of TROPICAL CYCLONES the school's policy is to follow instructions given by the relevant authorities usually the Hong Kong Observatory.

Signal	Action to be taken
Hoisting No.1 signal	All classes operate as usual.
Hoisting No.3 signal	Reception Year to close. Other classes to operate as usual unless advised otherwise.
Hoisting Pre No.8/No.8 signal or above	All schools to close.
Lowering to No.1 or lowering all signals	All classes to resume the next day

Rainstorms

The Education Department has a rainstorm warning system to deal with emergencies that may arise as a result of the weather, but which are not covered by the tropical cyclone warning system which is already in place. Please review these procedures carefully. AISHK will abide by them should any of the eventualities described make it necessary to do so.

Heavy Persistent Rain - Rainstorm Warning System

The revised rainstorm warning system - namely, the AMBER-RED-BLACK colour coded alert, has incorporated a forecast element.

The AMBER signal will be issued as an early alert to flooding in low-lying areas and possible heavy rain generally.
The RED and BLACK signals may be issued before the respective prescribed rainfall levels are reached to warn of imminent rainstorms.

The revised rainstorm warning system is independent of other weather warnings, including tropical cyclone signals and landslip warnings. As local severe rainstorms are extremely difficult to forecast and may develop rapidly, there will be situations when a RED signal is not preceded by an AMBER.

Similarly, a BLACK may be issued without a RED.

Once issued, the signals will be broadcast over radio and television. The school will listen for public announcements regularly during rainstorms and request that parents do so as well.

Rainstorm Warning Policy for AISHK

When the Rainstorm Warning Notice is Posted	Hong Kong EDB Mandated Action to be taken	AISHK Procedure
AMBER	All schools, including kindergartens, to operate as usual	AISHK will continue as usual.
RED Before leaving home for school. (Usually by 6:00am.)	Whole-day school classes to be suspended all day. School tests and examinations to be postponed. If the warning is issued at or after 8:00am,* students should continue to school, and attend classes at school.*	All staff to arrive at school as usual. Classes will be cancelled if the warning is issued before 8:00am. If the warning is issued at or after 8:00am, students should continue their journey to school and attend classes as usual.
BLACK Before leaving home for school. (Usually by 6:00am.)	Whole-day school classes to be suspended all day. School tests and examinations to be postponed. If the warning is issued at or after 8:00am, students should continue to school, and attend classes at school.	Classes will be cancelled if the warning is issued before 8:00am. If the warning is issued at or after 8:00am, students will continue their journey to school and attend classes as usual. Staff are required to be at school if the signal is raised at or after 8:00am.
BLACK When classes are in session.	Schools to continue until the end of the normal school hours and conditions are safe for students to return home.	AISHK continues until the end of the normal school hours and conditions are safe for students to return home.

School Attendance and Procedures

In the event of rainstorms, the following arrangements will apply and appropriate public announcements will be made. Please note parents have the responsibility of listening to announcements to arrange collection of their child as soon as possible. If it is considered unsafe to allow students to travel home by their normal means AISHK will supervise students at school until it is safe for students to return home or until the parent/carer collects the student from school. The school is not equipped to retain students for meals or overnight. Therefore, parents are requested to collect or arrange collection of their child as soon as it is safe to do so.

Please contact the school if you feel procedures could be different to those described above.

It is possible that weather conditions in some districts could be much more severe than in others. It is possible therefore that severe weather conditions in a student's home district could prevent the student from attending school even though AISHK remains open because weather conditions are not so severe in this district.
Closure of Individual Schools: Alternatively, if local weather, road, slope, traffic or transport conditions warrant the closure of AISHK and a general announcement has not been made by the Director of Education, a school head may close the school and then notify the District Education Office concerned as soon as possible afterwards. The announcement should be made, whenever possible, before students set out for school.
There are times when parents should use their discretion in deciding whether or not to send their child to school. Parents should keep their child at home if it seems that local weather, road, slope or traffic conditions at that time may be unsafe.
All parents are requested to ensure that the school has all current emergency contact numbers. Parents of students using the school bus service have provided emergency numbers to the bus company for communication in case of emergency (including inclement weather). Please ensure that these are kept current.