To ask the Minister of Education whether any assessment assessment has been made of the level of advice and support given to schools having to make a decision regarding whether to close early on Wednesday 10 June 2026.

In line with my Department’s policy on school closures, responsibility for taking decisions on exceptional or early closures rests primarily with school principals, who are best placed to assess local circumstances. This includes situations where there may be concerns relating to safety or security risks, as referenced within departmental guidance.

I am satisfied that appropriate advice and support was provided to schools on Wednesday 10 June 2026.

The Education Authority’s advice emphasised that maintaining education was a priority and advised that, despite unverified reports of potential disruption, a blanket closure of schools would not have been practical nor proportionate.

School leaders were asked to monitor their local circumstances, including travel arrangements for pupils and staff, and to take decisions as necessary, including where specific PSNI advice was provided.

I made clear that it was critical that external examinations, including GCSEs and A-levels, should proceed as planned and that examination centres should remain open. Where schools closed early, examination provision was expected to continue.

The guidance enabled schools to exercise their professional judgement, with support available through established channels. Decisions appropriately remained with individual schools.