School Transport Update - 6 January 2026
Date: 6 January 2026
Time: 12:00 PM
Following two days of weather disruption – and coming off the back of the Christmas break – huge efforts have gone in today into getting as many of Orkney’s schools, nurseries and education establishments open as possible for tomorrow.
Throughout the day this has proved a complicated picture to pull together due to a number of factors including localised road conditions, transport arrangements and staffing challenges.
Transport arrangements in particular are proving very tricky. Whilst a school may be open there will be many families for whom their normal transport arrangements simply cannot be provided tomorrow – right across our school network.
If the normal transport arrangements are not in place tomorrow and you don’t feel you can transport your child safely to school, we understand and your child will be marked down as an authorised absence.
In terms of schools being open, partially open or closed the picture is as follows:
Open (where the school is open, the nursery or early years setting is open.) |
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Closed (where the school is closed the nursery or early years setting is closed) |
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Partially Open |
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Transport Arrangements
We have a number of different contractors who provide school transport. They are an important partner when we make decisions about opening or closing schools and we respect their judgement on whether or not to provide transport. The transport picture across schools is as follows:
- Sanday - School transport will be provided
- Westray - School transport will be provided as normal apart from Dykeside
- Stenness - No school transport
- Orphir - No Craigie’s transport, Stagecoach will serve the main roads
- St Margaret’s Hope - Stagecoach will serve the main roads
- Papay - School transport will be provided
- Eday - School transport will be provided
- North Walls and for pupils travelling to Stromness Academy - No school transport
- Rousay - School transport will be provided
- Papdale - No school transport or ASN transport
- Glaitness - Stagecoach will operate main routes - but no ASN school transport
- Stromness Primary School - Stagecoach transport will be provided on main routes
- Dounby - No school transport
- St Andrews - No school transport
- KGS - Stagecoach transport will be provided but main roads only. No ASN transport.
- Stromness Academy - Stagecoach transport will be provided but main roads only. Orkney Transport will not operate on SA routes
Other key things to note
- Papdale Halls of Residence is expected to reopen on Thursday – pupils should report to the school in the morning.
- The car parks at the schools are likely to still have snow and ice in them, If you are dropping your child off – either on foot or by vehicle - please be very careful.
- If your child is due to be sitting a prelim and cannot get to school, please do not worry – their prelim will be rescheduled
- KGS pupils who attend a college course on a Wednesday should attend college as normal, Stromness Academy pupils should report to the school instead
- The Maritime PST course at UHI Orkney is cancelled
- Stagecoach has indicated that they should be able to operate on all ‘A’ roads. They will assess all routes early tomorrow morning and provide a detailed update by 6am. Please check the OIC school transport Facebook page/Radio Orkney for the latest updates.
- Please note, there will be no Additional Support Needs school transport tomorrow.
Sports and Leisure Facilities
In terms of sports and leisure facilities, the position is as follows:
Given that each HLC operate different opening hours people are being asked to contact their local Healthy Living Centre for details
- Westray - westray.hlc@glow.orkneyschools.org.uk - 01857 677568
- Sanday - sanday.hlc@glow.orkneyschools.org.uk - 01857 600795
- Shapinsay - shapinsay.hlc@glow.orkneyschools.org.uk - 01856 711346
- Rousay - rousay.hlc@glow.orkneyschools.org.uk - 01856 821443
- North Walls - northwalls.hlc@glow.orkneyschools.org.uk - 01856 791085
- St Margaret’s Hope - hope.hlc@glow.orkneyschools.org.uk - 01856 831793
- Stronsay - stronsay.hlc@glow.orkneyschools.org.uk - 01857 616449
Other Facilities & Services
- Stromness Community Centre and Town Hall - closed 7 Jan as per normal timetable and open on Thursday 8 Jan as normal
- Kirkwall Community Centre and St Magnus Cafe - open 7 Jan 2026
- Stromness Swimming pool and Fitness Centre open 7 Jan 2026
- Picky centre - open 7 Jan 2026
- Orkney Library and Archives - closed WC 5 Jan for Stock taking.
- Mobile Library will not be visiting Shapinsay this week as planned
- Home Library Service not operating this week as planned
- KGS Sports Centre - open 7 Jan as normal but no 3G
- Dounby Centre – open 7 Jan as per timetable.
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Category:
- Education
