Northern Ireland school closures and gritting
Official links for the Education Authority and DfI Roads in snow, ice and storms: where the council says which schools have closed, where it shows its gritters, and the Met Office warning area it is in. This page does not say whether any school is open or closed; the school and the council do.
Is my school in Northern Ireland closed?
Check the school's own text message, app, email or website first, then the council's official school closures page (nidirect.gov.uk).
Links checked on 18 October 2026.
Gritter tracker and gritting routes
The official page for Northern Ireland is a gritting routes page (nidirect.gov.uk). It shows which roads are treated; there is no live gritter map.
Met Office warnings for Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is in the Met Office's Northern Ireland warning area. Every snow, ice, wind and rain warning in force there now is on weather warnings for Northern Ireland. A warning is not a closure order: with red many schools close, with amber or yellow most stay open.
Who decides whether schools close
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.
Official guidance: School action plan for handling exceptional closures due to adverse weather (Department of Education).
Questions
Will schools in Northern Ireland close with a red or amber weather warning?
Not automatically: a Met Office warning is not a closure order. With a red warning many schools close; with amber or yellow most stay open and some close one by one if staff cannot get in or the site is unsafe. Northern Ireland is in the Met Office's Northern Ireland warning area. Check your school and the council's page on the day.
Who decides whether a school in Northern Ireland closes?
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.
Where do I find out if my school in Northern Ireland is closed?
From the school first: its text message, app, email or website. The council's own school closures page is linked on this page.
Are the roads in Northern Ireland gritted tonight?
The council publishes its gritting routes, linked on this page; it does not run a live gritter map. Councils grit their priority routes when ice or snow is forecast, so quieter roads and most pavements are not treated.
All UK councils' school closures pages · Gritter tracker UK · UK weather warnings
Links go to the Education Authority and DfI Roads and government websites and were checked on 18 October 2026. If a link has moved, search the council's website for "school closures" or "gritting". Your council not right? Find your local council on GOV.UK.