Storm Éowyn: How to check if your child’s school is closed today - as 'dangerous' winds whip country
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- Storm Éowyn has reached the UK on Friday, with wind warnings in place for most areas
- In some areas, schools, roads, and public transport have been impacted
- In extreme weather, schools sometimes shut their doors if staff or students can’t get there safely
- Local authorities have a dedicated webpage which lists these closures, and there’s a government directory available to help you find them
A record-breaking wind storm has seen extensive school closures in parts of the UK - and it’s not over yet.
Storm Éowyn is whipping across much of the country today, triggering a flurry of Met Office weather warnings. It has issued rare red weather warnings in parts of Northern Ireland and Scotland - its most serious kind, indicating a “danger to life” - until at least Friday afternoon, with amber and yellow warnings in place for the rest of the UK. The warnings are tied to extreme winds, with the forecaster warning people in the most vulnerable areas to expect flying debris, large waves, very dangerous driving conditions with fallen trees on roads, power cuts, damage to buildings and homes, and roads, bridges, and railway line closures.
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Hide AdIn England, schools are able to temporarily close in extreme weather, when it becomes unsafe for staff or students to get there. Éowyn is already having an impact, with the BBC reporting all schools in Northern Ireland have been closed, as flights are cancelled and millions are being urged to stay home and avoid travel.
With the wind storm expected to blow across the rest of the country throughout the day, here’s how you can check if your child’s school has been affected:


How to check for weather-related school closures in England or Wales
To find out about school closures in any part of England or Wales when the weather gets wild - whether that be snow, ice, flooding, or severe winds - the government has set up a special webpage. Here you can enter your or your school’s postcode, and be directed to the relevant council webpage.
Councils should have a list of all school closures in their area available there, any many are able to be updated in real time by head teachers as situations develop. Some councils, like Staffordshire County, for example, allow parents to sign up for email alerts on this webpage too. We’ve included a link to the government directory below.
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Hide AdProbably the fastest way to find out, however, is to look up the school’s website or usual channels of communication directly. If extreme weather is forcing them to close or not open on any given day, many school staff will publish notifications on their sites or social media pages to let the school community know right away. Some may also have pre-recorded voicemail messages informing parents who call in of the closure.
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 North Yorkshire, head teachers will inform the station covering the area in which the school is located, and ask them to broadcast a message to parents.
Your rights for emergency time off work if your child’s school is closed
In the UK, employees have the legal right to take time off work to deal with unexpected emergencies involving dependents, such as a child. This includes situations like sudden school closures due to severe weather.
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Hide AdTo find out about emergency school closures in any part of England and Wales, 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.
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