Pupils get extra day off

THOUSANDS of schools across all but nine of Scotland’s 32 local authorities were shut by lunchtime yesterday to allow pupils to get home safely.

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon defended the timing of the decision to advise schools in the west to close all day and those in the east to shut at lunchtime.

She said advice to schools in west and east was given before midnight.

An Edinburgh city council spokeswoman said: “Following the severe weather warnings and government advice issued last night, we took the decision to close schools in anticipation of the high winds.”

Schools in Aberdeen remained open but three academies and three primaries in Aberdeenshire were affected by school transport problems as a result of the high winds.