Schools across Scotland have been evacuated after receiving bomb threats just weeks after a bomb hoax sparked fear across the country.

It is understood more than 270 schools across the country were today targeted with threatening communications but police have confirmed they represent no credible threat to the public.

Despite this, schools in Perth and Kinross, Fife and Inverclyde activated emergency procedures and took the precaution to evacuate staff and pupils.

Highland Council said: “Emergency protocols were activated in Highland schools this morning, as we awaited further guidance from police.

“Following police enquiries, these messages are being treated as hoaxes. There is nothing to suggest they represent a credible threat or that there is any wider threat to the public.

“Schools will be in touch with parents directly regarding arrangements following any precautionary measures taken this morning.”

A spokesperson for Lochaber High School in Fort William said: “At this stage, we do not intend to evacuate Lochaber High School.

“We are monitoring the situation closely and will keep parents and carers updated on any developments or changes. If you wish to collect your child from school, you are welcome to do so.”

John McGhee, Executive Director of Education at Glasgow City Council, stated: “You may be aware of media reports this morning about a threatening email about a device in schools that has been sent to schools across the country – our police colleagues have confirmed this is a hoax and that schools should not be evacuated.

“Police officers will investigate the source of these emails. We will continue to work closely with our police colleagues as part of the investigation.

“We know that these incidents will cause anxiety and I want to reassure you the safety of our children, young people and staff is our top priority, and we will always follow the correct procedures in this type of situation.”

Officers launched an investigation last month after “threatening” messages were sent to a number of schools across Scotland, prompting evacuations in some areas. 

Schools in Glasgow were among those affected, with Glasgow City Council confirming some buildings had been evacuated as a precaution before staff were later allowed to return inside.

West Dunbartonshire and South Lanarkshire councils also confirmed police were investigating incidents in their areas. In Edinburgh, a number of schools were evacuated while staff were attending in-service days.

The incidents come after nurseries and primary schools in East Lothian received a bomb threat last week which was also understood to have been treated as a hoax.

Similar messages have also been sent to schools in Northern Ireland, where around 160 schools received bomb threats.

Northern Ireland’s education minister Paul Givan said those threats were not being treated as viable, while the Police Service of Northern Ireland said urgent inquiries were under way.

In September parents kept their children off school following an alleged ‘bomb threat’ against a high school in East Kilbride. 
 
It is understood Calderglen High was threatened with what police described as a “malicious communication”.
 
An anonymous account on X claimed to have planted explosives at the South Lanarkshire school and also made similar threats to target Duncanrig Secondary in the town.
 
Police said they made extensive searches of the area and deployed sniffer dogs trained to find explosives but “nothing of concern” was found.

Commenting on today’s incident, a spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “On Wednesday, November 11, 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.

“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.
 
“Police Scotland’s Cyber and Fraud Unit is carrying out extensive enquiries to establish the source of the messages, and officers continue to liaise with law enforcement partners across the UK and internationally.”