Why are some schools closed for snow whilst others aren't?

Hundreds of schools have been closed across the UK because of current weather conditions.

North Yorkshire and Scotland have been particularly affected.

With temperatures due to plunge as low as -16C in northern Scotland on Thursday night, there are also expected to be many more closures on Friday.

Lots of you have been telling Newsround about being off school, but who decides if a school closes and does snow always mean a snow day?

Read on to find out.

Who decides a school should close?

Children don't usually have a say on whether a school should close because of the weather, instead it is the headteacher that makes that decision

A headteacher would usually make the decision on whether to close the school.

Guidelines from the Education department of the government for England and Wales say they should only be closed in special circumstances.

Schools have to decide on whether it is safe for them to open or close based on whether it is safe to do so.

There is nothing to say that snow means there is always a snow day, instead schools have to look at the risks and make their decision based on that.

What reasons do schools decide to close?

Schools should let parents or guardians know as soon as possible that the school is going to close

There are a number of reasons a school may decide to close during bad weather, these include:

• There aren't enough teachers because of transport issues with travelling to school.

• The school site isn't safe.

• Children can't get to school safely.

The guidance for schools is to try and inform parents and guardians as soon as possible that the school is going to close so the decision may be based on weather forecast, even if it is due to get worse later in the day.

What about temperature, how cold is too cold for school?

Although there are no specific guidelines for schools, there are regulations for workplace temperatures which are followed by schools.

It states that temperatures should be "normally at least 16°C" (60°F).

The National Education Union, which represents school teachers, support staff and teaching assistants believes classrooms should be at least 18ºC (64.4ºF).

School closures sometimes happen when the school heating is broken and so a comfortable and safe temperature can't be maintained.