School closures: Find out which are shut in your local authority amid snow and ice weather warnings

The UK’s icy blast continues with temperatures hitting as low as minus 20C.

Snow and sleet began to hit southern England on Wednesday afternoon as an amber weather warning came into force, with the Met Office adding further warnings for much of the country on Friday.

Yellow warnings for ice in parts of Wales, northwest England, east England and the southwest, will all be lifted by 11am, while a snow and ice warning in northern Scotland will be lifted at 10am.

Friday will signal the beginning of the end of the cold snap, which has caused travel disruption, school closures and seen much of the UK freezing over as temperatures dipped as low as -13.3C.

As “milder air” moves in, temperatures are forecast to turn much warmer by the beginning of next week, reaching double digits in Northern Ireland, northern England and Scotland, according to the Met Office.

Pupils across the country have had their Christmas holidays extended as classrooms have failed to reopen due to flooding, icy conditions and bad weather.

Parents are urged to check with on their children’s school websites in the morning, with information also posted on council sites and on local radio stations.

Here is a list of likely affected council websites The Independent has compiled:

Several schools in the Scottish Highlands were also closed, with a full list for Thursday available here - https://www.highland.gov.uk/schoolclosures

The Scottish government also has an online directory here for you to search if your child’s school is closed - https://www.mygov.scot/school-closures

This week nearly 200 schools were closed across Bradford due to adverse weather conditions. The full list will be updated here - https://www.bradford.gov.uk/education-and-skills/school-holidays-and-term-dates/school-closures/

Only one school in Wakefield is closed on Friday, full details here for any further announcements - https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/schools-and-education/schools/school-closures/

Parents with children attending school in Lancashire can check their council page here for more information - https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/children-education-families/schools/unexpected-school-closures/

Lists of schools that are closed in Manchester will be made available on their council website - https://www.manchester.gov.uk/education

North Yorkshire has listed five schools for closure on Friday - https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/education-and-learning/school-closures

Any updates in Stockport will be posted here - https://www.stockport.gov.uk/school-closures-and-disruptions

Parents should check for their children’s schools in Staffordshire after dozens were forced to close on Wednesday -https://apps2.staffordshire.gov.uk/sln/schoolclosures/

With the snow and bad weather moving to the southern counties, Somerset council have updated their list of school closures - https://www.somerset.gov.uk/children-families-and-education/school-life/school-closures/

Two schools are closed in Suffolk on Friday, according to the county’s website - https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/children-families-and-learning/schools/school-closures/school-closures-in-suffolk

A number of schools are closed in Carmarthenshire, Wales, today - https://schoolclosures.carmarthenshire.gov.wales/

A list of school closures in Northern Ireland due to severe weather can be read on the NI Direct website - https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/services/school-closures