School attendance drops in Scotland after bomb hoax emails

Councils report absenteeism well above normal despite police confirming the threats were a hoax

By LineZotpaper

Published20 October 2026

Updated20 October 2026

Read Time2 min

Sources3 outlets

Attendance at schools across Scotland has fallen sharply after a wave of bomb threat emails, despite Police Scotland confirming the warnings were a hoax. Parents have said their children remain too worried to return to the classroom, and several councils have reported absence rates far above usual levels.

Councils confirmed on Tuesday that absence rates were much higher than normal. Glasgow City Council said some of its schools had 50% fewer pupils than usual, while East Ayrshire Council reported absence rates three times higher than at the start of the month, with 4,881 pupils off compared with 1,600 on 1 October. Midlothian Council recorded a 21.5% absence rate across primary and secondary schools, against 6.9% on the same day last year.

James Dalgleish, convenor of education, children and families at Edinburgh City Council, urged parents to "speak to their children and calm their fears". He said: "I want to stress that we have worked with police as well as following our own safety policies and we established there was no risk to pupils. If you have any concerns about attending, please speak to your child's school. School staff will also be checking in with pupils to make sure they are safe and supported."

Hundreds of people contacted police after schools across Scotland received the emails on Monday. The warnings were quickly identified as hoaxes, and learning was unaffected in schools where pupils had returned from the October break, while other schools were still on holiday. Similar hoax emails warning of an "explosive device" were also sent to about 300 schools in Northern Ireland.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "These messages have been assessed and are being treated as a hoax, with nothing to suggest any threat to the public." Officers and staff from Police Scotland's Cyber and Fraud Unit were "working closely with partners" and continuing "extensive inquiries to establish the source".

Analysis

Why This Matters

A false threat has still disrupted schooling across Scotland, showing the real-world cost of hoax campaigns
Pupil anxiety is affecting attendance days after police confirmed there was no risk
The coordinated email campaign has generated hundreds of police calls and a cyber investigation, drawing on public resources

Background

The emails arrived on Monday as many schools returned from the October break. Police assessed them quickly as hoaxes, and similar warnings were sent to around 300 schools in Northern Ireland. The incident is being treated as a coordinated hoax campaign, and Police Scotland's Cyber and Fraud Unit is investigating its source.

Key Perspectives

Councils and schools: Safety was established through police checks and school safety policies, and councils are urging parents to bring children back. Staff will be checking in with pupils to ensure they feel safe and supported.

Parents and pupils: Some children remain worried enough to stay home, with parents posting about their concerns online despite the official reassurances.

Police: The messages are being treated as a hoax with nothing to suggest any threat to the public, and extensive inquiries are continuing to identify the source.

What to Watch

Whether absence rates return to normal in the coming days as reassurance efforts continue
The outcome of Police Scotland's investigation, with its Cyber and Fraud Unit working to establish the source of the emails
Whether similar hoax campaigns spread to further regions, following the parallel wave of emails in Northern Ireland

Sources

Parents urged to not to clog police phone lines after 300 calls made following Scottish schools hoax · STV News
School attendance drops across Scotland after bomb hoax · BBC Scotland
School attendance drops across Scotland after bomb hoax · BBC Scotland

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 10 supported.

Show each claim

SupportedSchool attendance dropped across Scotland after the bomb hoax.BBC Scotland: “Attendance at schools across the country has dropped following bomb threats - despite Police Scotland confirming they were a hoax.”
Partly supportedAttendance across Scotland fell sharply after the bomb threat emails.BBC Scotland: “Attendance at schools across the country has dropped following bomb threats”
SupportedCouncils reported absenteeism well above normal despite police confirming the threats were a hoax.BBC Scotland: “several councils have confirmed that absence rates were much higher than usual on Tuesday.”
Partly supportedParents said their children remained too worried to return to class.BBC Scotland: “Parents have posted online that their children were still too worried to return to to the classroom”
SupportedGlasgow City Council said some schools had 50% fewer pupils than usual.BBC Scotland: “Glasgow City Council said that some of their schools had 50% fewer pupils than normal.”
SupportedEast Ayrshire reported absence rates three times higher than at the start of the month, with 4,881 pupils off versus 1,600 on 1 October.BBC Scotland: “East Ayrshire Council said absence rates were three times higher than at the start of the month, with 4,881 kids off compared with 1,600 on 1 October.”
SupportedMidlothian recorded a 21.5% absence rate, against 6.9% on the same day last year, across primary and secondary schools.BBC Scotland: “Midlothian council said it had a 21.5% absence rate compared with 6.9% across primary and secondary schools on the same day last year.”
SupportedJames Dalgleish urged parents to “speak to their children and calm their fears”.BBC Scotland: “Councillor James Dalgleish, convenor of education, children and families at Edinburgh City Council urged parent's to "speak to their children and calm their fears".”
SupportedDalgleish said the council had established there was no risk to pupils and advised parents with concerns to contact their child’s school.BBC Scotland: “I want to stress that we have worked with police as well as following our own safety policies and we established there was no risk to pupils. "If you have any concerns about attending, please speak to your child's school. School staff will also be checking in with pupils to make sure they are safe and supported," he said.”
SupportedHundreds of people contacted police after schools across Scotland received the emails on Monday.BBC Scotland: “Hundreds of people contacted police after schools across Scotland received the emails on Monday.”
SupportedSimilar hoax emails warning of an “explosive device” were sent to about 300 schools in Northern Ireland.BBC Scotland: “Similar hoax emails warning of an "explosive device" were also sent to about 300 schools in Northern Ireland.”
SupportedPolice Scotland said the messages were being treated as a hoax, with nothing suggesting a threat to the public.BBC Scotland: “These messages have been assessed and are being treated as a hoax, with nothing to suggest any threat to the public.”