Scottish Borders school closures and gritting

Official links for Scottish Borders Council 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.

Gritter tracker and gritting routes

The official page for Scottish Borders is a gritting routes page (scotborders.gov.uk). It shows which roads are treated; there is no live gritter map.

Motorways and trunk roads are not gritted by the council: Traffic Scotland (Trunk roads and motorways in Scotland).

Met Office warnings for Scottish Borders

Scottish Borders is in the Met Office's SW Scotland, Lothian Borders warning area. Every snow, ice, wind and rain warning in force there now is on weather warnings for SW Scotland, Lothian Borders. A warning is not a closure order: with red many schools close, with amber or yellow most stay open.

Who decides whether schools close

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.

Official guidance: School closures in an emergency (mygov.scot, Scottish Government).

Questions

Will schools in Scottish Borders 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. Scottish Borders is in the Met Office's SW Scotland, Lothian Borders warning area. Check your school and the council's page on the day.

Who decides whether a school in Scottish Borders closes?

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.

Where do I find out if my school in Scottish Borders 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 Scottish Borders 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.

Other councils in the same warning area

East Lothian · Edinburgh · Midlothian · West Lothian

All UK councils' school closures pages · Gritter tracker UK · UK weather warnings

Links go to Scottish Borders Council 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.