Schools across Scotland were hit by a fresh wave of hoax bomb threat emails on Wednesday 11 November 2026, prompting evacuations in several areas before Police Scotland confirmed the messages were not a credible threat. The force said the emails were sent to schools in Scotland and across the UK and were assessed as hoaxes immediately.

Police Scotland advised that there is no requirement for schools to evacuate classrooms or keep children away from education based solely on the content of the emails. Its Cyber and Fraud Unit is investigating the source of the messages and is liaising with law enforcement partners across the UK and internationally.

Which schools were affected?

Schools in Edinburgh, Glasgow, the Highlands, Fife, Dumfries and Galloway and Perth were among those affected on Wednesday morning. In Edinburgh, St Augustine's, Broughton and Currie high schools were evacuated, and pupils were seen standing on the football pitches outside Davidson's Mains Primary School.

In the Highlands, Invergordon Academy told parents it would close for the rest of the day and send pupils home, while Nairn Academy announced an emergency school closure. In Perth, Our Lady's Catholic Primary School was evacuated and pupils were moved temporarily to a nearby church. In Kinross, pupils huddled under foil blankets to keep warm after being evacuated from their classrooms, and police officers were seen stationed outside Park Primary School in Dumfries and Galloway.

Parents at Leslie Primary School in Fife were told that hundreds of schools had received a threatening email. Schools across Glasgow also saw pupils leaving their premises alongside staff during the morning.

What did Police Scotland say?

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "On Wednesday, 11 November 2026, threatening messages were sent to a number of schools in Scotland and across the UK. These messages were immediately assessed and are being treated as hoaxes. Our enquiries have established that there is nothing to suggest that they represent a credible threat or that there is any wider threat to the public."

The spokesperson added: "We understand how distressing messages of this nature can be for pupils, parents, carers and school staff, and the concern they can understandably cause. Our advice is that there is no requirement to evacuate schools or keep children away from education based solely on the content of the emails. They have been sent widely to distribution lists across the UK and Northern Ireland and our assessment remains that they do not represent a credible threat."

Highland Council said some schools had activated their emergency protocols as a precaution while awaiting further guidance from Police Scotland. West Lothian Council said a number of its schools had received a threatening email, but that police had assured the council there was no imminent risk and advised schools to continue with their day as planned, so West Lothian schools were not closed.

Second nationwide incident in weeks

This is the second time in recent weeks that schools across Scotland have been targeted in this way. In October, hundreds of people contacted police after schools received similar malicious emails, which were quickly identified as hoaxes. Despite that, attendance dropped sharply in the days that followed, with Glasgow City Council reporting that some schools had 50 percent fewer pupils than normal, and Midlothian Council recording a 21.5 percent absence rate compared with 6.9 percent on the same day the previous year.

Schools in Northern Ireland also received a fresh threatening email on Wednesday, according to the Education Authority, which said the message had similarities with the bogus threat sent last month and that it was liaising with police. In October, similar hoax emails warning of an explosive device were sent to around 300 schools in Northern Ireland.

Police Scotland said enquiries into the source of the messages are continuing. Parents who are unsure about arrangements at their child's school are advised to contact the school or their local council directly.