Schools closed due to heating failures

TWO local schools have fallen foul of the cold snap - with heating failures.

The Royal School Armagh will be closed tomorrow (Wednesday, January 7) due to both boilers serving the main block breaking down

And St Patrick’s High School in Keady was closed today due to ‘issues’ with their heating system.

In a letter to parents RSA Headmaster Mr Graham Montgomery apologised for any inconvience and outlined alternatives for parents.

He said, “I regret to advise you that as of this afternoon both boilers serving the main teaching block at school are broken.

“Unfortunately repair requires a part which is not readily available and so the repair cannot start until tomorrow.

“School will therefore be closed to pupils on Wednesday 07 January 2026. There is a possibility that the closure will extend through Thursday 08 January, but we will not know for certain until engineers have assessed the success of the repair tomorrow.

“Information about further closure or confirmation of opening will be posted on our social media, the SIMS app and notified by text.

!The Royal School Playgroup and RSA Prep will be open as normal. The heating in the boarding department is working normally.

“I apologise for this inconvenience. If you are unable to secure appropriate care for your child tomorrow some limited accommodation is available for supervised study in the Old Building and in Wellesley House which are unaffected by the boiler failure. Food will also be available on site for those attending school. Pupils attending school should assemble in the concourse area by 09:00. We ask that you advise us by phone of your child’s attendance before 16:30 today.

“Teaching staff will place in the relevant Google Classroom appropriate guidance and/or work for the pupils they are timetabled to teach tomorrow. This is not a holiday, and we therefore ask that pupils access their Google Classroom, and teachers will be available for contact through Google Classroom during school hours.

“Pupils who are due to sit the Btec engineering exam tomorrow should attend as normal. They will sit the exam in the OCR at the scheduled time and will be free to leave when it is over.

“All pupils attending school on Wednesday 07 January should wear full school uniform.

“Thank you for your patience and understanding.”

Meanwhile St Patrick’s High School in Keady was closed today (Tuesday, January 6).

The school said, “Unfortunately ongoing issues with our heating system means that unfortunately today will be a home study day.

“Work will be loaded to Google Classroom. Year 12 mocks will go ahead.”