Snow days in Scotland: How to find out if your child's school is open when serious weather hits

• In extreme weather events, Scottish schools will sometimes close temporarily
• Local each have a dedicated webpage to list closures
• The government has a special directory parents can use to find this webpage in any area
• But schools may also use a range of other methods to let parents know they are closed

Scotland is no stranger to snow and ice, but the disruption it causes it can still have a big impact on schools and families.

After a weekend of snow dumps across large parts of the UK, dozens of schools in Aberdeenshire, Moray, and the Scottish Highlands were closed on Monday (6 January), according to the BBC. It comes right as many children were returning to school from their Christmas holidays, while a new Met Service yellow weather warning now forecasts snow will continue to fall well into Tuesday.

In Scotland, schools are able to temporarily close - or even delay their start time for a few hours - in extreme weather conditions, particularly if they pose a risk to staff or students.

But if it is looking particularly perilous in your area, what is the fastest way to find out whether your child’s school is still open? Here’s what you need to know:

In Scotland, schools are able to temporarily close during hazardous weather conditions | (Image: National World/Adobe Stock)

How to check for weather-related school closures in Scotland

The Scottish government has an online directory set up, to help families find out about emergency school closures. This includes those impacted by weather events, such as severe winds, flooding, and extreme winter weather - like snow and ice.

This page allows you to select the relevant council area for your child’s school, and will redirect you to its dedicated page for emergency closures. These contain a list of all impacted schools in the council area, and are usually updated and cleared daily to keep the information accurate. We’ve included a link to the government directory below.

Probably the fastest way to find out, however, is to check your school’s usual means of communication. Many will also reach out to let families know about closures via their social media pages, or via email.

However, severe weather conditions can also sometimes disrupt telecommunication services, including phone lines or the internet. In this instance, you may be able to find out whether your child’s school is open by tuning in to your local radio station. In some areas, such as Aberdeen City Council, schools will inform the station covering the local area, and ask them to broadcast a message to parents.

To find out about emergency school closures in any part of Scotland, you can search its postcode in the government’s official online directory here, as mentioned above. It will redirect you to the local authority’s dedicated page for school closures.