School closures in the UK for snow and storms: official council pages

When snow, ice or a storm hits, councils across the UK publish which schools have closed. This directory links the official closures page of 80 councils and education authorities, with the Met Office warning area each one is in and who makes the decision. It does not list closed schools itself: the school and the council are the only reliable source on the day.

Is my school closed today? Check the school's own text message, app, email or website first, then your council's page below. A school can close on its own even when the council's list is quiet.

Links checked on 18 October 2026. Each link below answered when it was checked; councils move pages, so if one fails, search the council's site for "school closures".

Will schools close with a red or amber warning?

Not automatically. A Met Office warning is not a closure order, and each closure is decided locally. With a red warning many schools do close: when Storm Éowyn brought red wind warnings on 24 January 2025, schools across Northern Ireland and in most council areas of central Scotland shut for the day. With an amber or yellow warning most schools stay open, and some close one by one because staff cannot get in, the heating has failed or the site is unsafe. What is in force now for each area is on UK weather warnings by region.

Who decides whether a school closes?

England. The school decides, normally the headteacher with the governing body or academy trust. Department for Education guidance says settings should stay open in severe weather where it is safe to do so, and accepts that a temporary closure may be needed when a site cannot be reached or there is a risk of injury. Guidance: Emergency planning and response for education, childcare, and children's social care settings (Department for Education).

Scotland. Each council runs its state schools as the education authority. In snow or a storm the head teacher and the council decide together, and in a red warning a council can close all of its schools at once; it announces that on its own website and social media. Guidance: School closures in an emergency (mygov.scot, Scottish Government).

Wales. The head teacher decides, usually with the governing body and after talking to the council, which publishes the schools that have closed. Pupils' safety getting to school and staff being able to get in are what the decision turns on. Guidance: Opening schools as well as childcare and play settings in extreme bad weather and extreme hot weather (Welsh Government).

Northern Ireland. The principal and Board of Governors decide for their own school. In a region-wide emergency the Education Authority can announce that schools will close: when Storm Éowyn brought a red wind warning on 24 January 2025, schools across Northern Ireland closed for the day. Guidance: School action plan for handling exceptional closures due to adverse weather (Department of Education).

Official school closures pages by council

Council names link to a page for that council with its closures link, its gritting link, its Met Office warning area and who decides. Councils without a closures page that this site could verify are listed with what they do publish.

England (76)

Council	School closures	Met Office warning area	Gritting
Barnsley	Closures page on barnsley.gov.uk	Yorkshire & Humber	Gritting routes
Birmingham	No council page; check the school	West Midlands	Gritting routes
Bolton	Closures page on bolton.gov.uk	North West England	Gritting routes
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole	No council page; check the school	South West England	Gritting routes
Bradford	Closures page on bradford.gov.uk	Yorkshire & Humber	Gritting routes
Brighton and Hove	Closures page on brighton-hove.gov.uk	London & South East England	Not found
Bristol	Closures page on bristol.gov.uk	South West England	Gritting routes
Buckinghamshire	Closures page on closures.buckinghamshire.gov.uk	London & South East England	Gritting routes
Calderdale	No council page; check the school	Yorkshire & Humber	Gritting routes
Cambridgeshire	Closures page on cambridgeshire.gov.uk	East of England	Gritting routes
Central Bedfordshire	Closures page on centralbedfordshire.gov.uk	East of England	Gritting routes
Cheshire East	No council page; check the school	North West England	Live gritter map
Cheshire West and Chester	No council page; check the school	North West England	Gritting routes
Cornwall	No council page; check the school	South West England	Not found
County Durham	Closures page on durham.gov.uk	North East England	Live gritter map
Coventry	Closures page on coventry.gov.uk	West Midlands	Gritting routes
Cumberland	Closures page on cumberland.gov.uk	North West England	Gritting routes
Derby	Closures page on derby.gov.uk	East Midlands	Gritting routes
Derbyshire	Closures page on derbyshire.gov.uk	East Midlands	Live gritter map
Devon	Closures page on devon.gov.uk	South West England	Gritting routes
Doncaster	No council page; check the school	Yorkshire & Humber	Not found
Dorset	No council page; check the school	South West England	Not found
Dudley	No council page; check the school	West Midlands	Gritting routes
East Riding of Yorkshire	Closures page on eastriding.gov.uk	Yorkshire & Humber	Gritting routes
East Sussex	Closures page on eastsussex.gov.uk	London & South East England	Gritting routes
Essex	Closures page on essex.gov.uk	East of England	Live gritter map
Gloucestershire	Closures page on gloucestershire.gov.uk	South West England	Gritting routes
Hampshire	No council page; check the school	London & South East England	Not found
Herefordshire	Closures page on herefordshire.gov.uk	West Midlands	Gritting routes
Hertfordshire	No council page; check the school	East of England	Gritting routes
Hull	No council page; check the school	Yorkshire & Humber	Gritting routes
Kent	Closures page on kentclosures.co.uk	London & South East England	Gritting routes
Kirklees	Closures page on kirklees.gov.uk	Yorkshire & Humber	Gritting routes
Lancashire	Closures page on lancashire.gov.uk	North West England	Not found
Leeds	Closures page on leeds.gov.uk	Yorkshire & Humber	Live gritter map
Leicester	Closures page on leicester.gov.uk	East Midlands	Gritting routes
Leicestershire	No council page; check the school	East Midlands	Gritting routes
Lincolnshire	Closures page on lincolnshire.gov.uk	East Midlands	Gritting routes
Liverpool	No council page; check the school	North West England	Gritting routes
Manchester	No council page; check the school	North West England	Gritting routes
Medway	No council page; check the school	London & South East England	Gritting routes
Milton Keynes	No council page; check the school	London & South East England	Gritting routes
Newcastle upon Tyne	Closures page on newcastle.gov.uk	North East England	Gritting routes
Norfolk	Closures page on disruptions.norfolk.gov.uk	East of England	Not found
North Northamptonshire	Closures page on northnorthants.gov.uk	East Midlands	Gritting routes
North Yorkshire	Closures page on northyorks.gov.uk	Yorkshire & Humber	Live gritter map
Northumberland	No council page; check the school	North East England	Gritting routes
Nottingham	Closures page on nottinghamcity.gov.uk	East Midlands	Not found
Nottinghamshire	Closures page on nottinghamshire.gov.uk	East Midlands	Gritting routes
Oxfordshire	Closures page on oxfordshire.gov.uk	London & South East England	Live gritter map
Peterborough	Closures page on peterborough.gov.uk	East of England	Gritting routes
Plymouth	Closures page on plymouth.gov.uk	South West England	Gritting routes
Portsmouth	Closures page on portsmouth.gov.uk	London & South East England	Gritting routes
Rotherham	Closures page on rotherham.gov.uk	Yorkshire & Humber	Gritting routes
Sandwell	Closures page on sandwell.gov.uk	West Midlands	Gritting routes
Sheffield	No council page; check the school	Yorkshire & Humber	Gritting routes
Shropshire	Closures page on next.shropshire.gov.uk	West Midlands	Gritting routes
Somerset	Closures page on somerset.gov.uk	South West England	Gritting routes
Southampton	Closures page on southampton.gov.uk	London & South East England	Gritting routes
Staffordshire	Closures page on staffordshire.gov.uk	West Midlands	Gritting routes
Stockport	Closures page on stockport.gov.uk	North West England	Gritting routes
Stoke-on-Trent	No council page; check the school	West Midlands	Gritting routes
Suffolk	Closures page on suffolk.gov.uk	East of England	Gritting routes
Sunderland	No council page; check the school	North East England	Not found
Surrey	Closures page on surreycc.gov.uk	London & South East England	Gritting routes
Wakefield	Closures page on wakefield.gov.uk	Yorkshire & Humber	Gritting routes
Walsall	No council page; check the school	West Midlands	Gritting routes
Warwickshire	Closures page on warwickshire.gov.uk	West Midlands	Gritting routes
West Northamptonshire	Closures page on westnorthants.gov.uk	East Midlands	Gritting routes
West Sussex	Closures page on westsussex.gov.uk	London & South East England	Gritting routes
Westmorland and Furness	Closures page on westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk	North West England	Gritting routes
Wigan	No council page; check the school	North West England	Gritting routes
Wiltshire	No council page; check the school	South West England	Not found
Wirral	Closures page on wirral.gov.uk	North West England	Gritting routes
Wolverhampton	Closures page on wolverhampton.gov.uk	West Midlands	Gritting routes
Worcestershire	Closures page on worcestershire.gov.uk	West Midlands	Gritting routes

Scotland (32)

Council	School closures	Met Office warning area	Gritting
Aberdeen City	No council page; check the school	Grampian	Not found
Aberdeenshire	Closures page on online.aberdeenshire.gov.uk	Grampian	Not found
Angus	Closures page on angus.gov.uk	Central, Tayside & Fife	Gritting routes
Argyll and Bute	Closures page on argyll-bute.gov.uk	Strathclyde	Gritting routes
Clackmannanshire	Closures page on clacks.gov.uk	Central, Tayside & Fife	Gritting routes
Dumfries and Galloway	No council page; check the school	SW Scotland, Lothian Borders	Not found
Dundee	Closures page on dundeecity.gov.uk	Central, Tayside & Fife	Gritting routes
East Ayrshire	No council page; check the school	Strathclyde	Live gritter map
East Dunbartonshire	No council page; check the school	Strathclyde	Gritting routes
East Lothian	Closures page on eastlothian.gov.uk	SW Scotland, Lothian Borders	Gritting routes
East Renfrewshire	No council page; check the school	Strathclyde	Not found
Edinburgh	No council page; check the school	SW Scotland, Lothian Borders	Gritting routes
Falkirk	Closures page on falkirk.gov.uk	Central, Tayside & Fife	Gritting routes
Fife	Closures page on fife.gov.uk	Central, Tayside & Fife	Gritting routes
Glasgow	No council page; check the school	Strathclyde	Not found
Highland	Closures page on highland.gov.uk	Highlands & Eilean Siar	Gritting routes
Inverclyde	No council page; check the school	Strathclyde	Not found
Midlothian	Closures page on midlothian.gov.uk	SW Scotland, Lothian Borders	Gritting routes
Moray	Closures page on moray.gov.uk	Grampian	Gritting routes
North Ayrshire	No council page; check the school	Strathclyde	Gritting routes
North Lanarkshire	No council page; check the school	Strathclyde	Live gritter map
Orkney	Closures page on orkney.gov.uk	Orkney & Shetland	Gritting routes
Perth and Kinross	No council page; check the school	Central, Tayside & Fife	Not found
Renfrewshire	No council page; check the school	Strathclyde	Gritting routes
Scottish Borders	Closures page on scotborders.gov.uk	SW Scotland, Lothian Borders	Gritting routes
Shetland	Closures page on shetland.gov.uk	Orkney & Shetland	Gritting routes
South Ayrshire	No council page; check the school	Strathclyde	Live gritter map
South Lanarkshire	No council page; check the school	Strathclyde	Gritting routes
Stirling	No council page; check the school	Central, Tayside & Fife	Gritting routes
West Dunbartonshire	No council page; check the school	Strathclyde	Gritting routes
West Lothian	Closures page on westlothian.gov.uk	SW Scotland, Lothian Borders	Live gritter map
Western Isles (Na h-Eileanan Siar)	No council page; check the school	Highlands & Eilean Siar	Gritting routes

Wales (22)

Council	School closures	Met Office warning area	Gritting
Blaenau Gwent	Closures page on blaenau-gwent.gov.uk	Wales	Gritting routes
Bridgend	Closures page on bridgend.gov.uk	Wales	Not found
Caerphilly	No council page; check the school	Wales	Not found
Cardiff	No council page; check the school	Wales	Not found
Carmarthenshire	Closures page on schoolclosures.carmarthenshire.gov.wales	Wales	Gritting routes
Ceredigion	No council page; check the school	Wales	Gritting routes
Conwy	Closures page on conwy.gov.uk	Wales	Gritting routes
Denbighshire	Closures page on denbighshire.gov.uk	Wales	Gritting routes
Flintshire	Closures page on flintshire.gov.uk	Wales	Gritting routes
Gwynedd	Closures page on diogel.gwynedd.llyw.cymru	Wales	Not found
Isle of Anglesey	Closures page on anglesey.gov.wales	Wales	Gritting routes
Merthyr Tydfil	Closures page on schoolclosures.merthyr.gov.uk	Wales	Gritting routes
Monmouthshire	No council page; check the school	Wales	Gritting routes
Neath Port Talbot	Closures page on npt.gov.uk	Wales	Gritting routes
Newport	No council page; check the school	Wales	Not found
Pembrokeshire	Closures page on pembrokeshire.gov.uk	Wales	Not found
Powys	No council page; check the school	Wales	Not found
Rhondda Cynon Taf	No council page; check the school	Wales	Gritting routes
Swansea	No council page; check the school	Wales	Not found
Torfaen	Closures page on torfaen.gov.uk	Wales	Gritting routes
Vale of Glamorgan	No council page; check the school	Wales	Gritting routes
Wrexham	No council page; check the school	Wales	Gritting routes

Northern Ireland (1)

Council	School closures	Met Office warning area	Gritting
Northern Ireland	Closures page on nidirect.gov.uk	Northern Ireland	Gritting routes

Which councils are covered, and how to find yours

This directory covers the largest councils in England by population, every council in Scotland and Wales, and Northern Ireland's Education Authority: 131 in all, 80 of them with an official closures page. Smaller English councils, London boroughs and districts are not all listed yet. If yours is missing, find it with find your local council on GOV.UK and look for "school closures" on its website. Where England has both a county and a district council, it is the county council that runs schools and publishes closures.

Roads matter as much as the school: whether your council grits tonight, and where, is on gritter trackers and gritting routes by council.

Questions

Will schools close with a red or amber weather warning?

Not automatically. A warning is not a closure order, and each closure is decided locally. With a red warning many schools do close: when Storm Éowyn brought red wind warnings on 24 January 2025, schools across Northern Ireland and in most council areas of central Scotland shut for the day. With an amber or yellow warning most schools stay open, and some close one by one because staff cannot get in, the heating has failed or the site is unsafe.

Who decides whether a school closes?

In England the school does, normally the headteacher with the governing body or academy trust, and Department for Education guidance asks schools to stay open where it is safe. In Scotland the head teacher and the council decide together, and a council can close all its schools. In Wales the head teacher decides with the council. In Northern Ireland each principal decides, and the Education Authority can close schools across the region in an emergency.

Where do I find out if my school is closed?

First from the school itself: its text message, app, email or website. Many councils also publish a closures page during snow or storms, and this directory links each official one. If your council is not listed, find it on gov.uk's "find your local council" and look for "school closures" on its site.

Does this site say which schools are closed today?

No. It links each council's official page instead, because a list copied from somewhere else can be wrong or out of date, and a wrong "open" or "closed" matters. The links were checked on the date shown.

UK weather warnings · Gritter tracker UK · UK storm names 2026-27 · UK heat and cold health alerts

Every link on this page goes to a council, education authority or government website, and was checked on 18 October 2026. This site does not decide, record or predict school closures; the school and its council do.