If a school wants to close for an additional closure day over and above the statutory 5 days, this can only be done in emergency circumstances and the school should discuss this with their Support Officer in the Leadership and Governance Team. For certain building projects, it may be possible for the County Council to support a closure day to allow the school to work with the Council to manage any necessary movement of equipment and furniture. In these circumstances you are advised to email your request to colin.james@westsussex.gov.uk or call 01243 777751.
For information, in 2009/10 the County Council has chosen not to stipulate that the first day of the school year must be an INSET Day. This means that it is for schools to allocate all five INSET days in this year.