(Image: Colin Mearns)
Police Scotland is investigating threatening messages sent to a number of schools across the country, which it is treating as a hoax.
Schools in Scottish Borders, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, Edinburgh and North Ayrshire have received a threat.
The messages came on the same day more than 300 schools in Northern Ireland received bomb threats, which have also not been treated as viable.
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A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "We are aware of threatening messages being sent to a number of schools across Scotland. These are being treated as a hoax and officers are investigating."
In an email to parents, John McGhee, Executive Director of Education Services at Glasgow City Council, said: "You will be aware of media reports today about a threatening email that has been sent to some of our schools and schools across the country and I wanted to inform you of our actions.
"The police are treating the threat in the email as a hoax with police officers continuing to investigate the source of these emails.
"We will continue to work closely with our police colleagues as part of the investigation.
"The safety of our children, young people and staff is our top priority, and we will always follow the correct procedures in this type of situation."
The Edinburgh Evening News reported that staff at Leith Primary were evacuated at around 9.30am.
A teacher there told the paper the head teacher said an email had been received saying a bomb had been placed in the building.
She said: "One Edinburgh primary school teacher, who asked not to be named, said that she and her colleagues were informed at around 9.50am that they were to be sent home due to “UK-wide bomb threats to schools”.
She said: “We were right in the middle of training, and the headteacher from the school next door came and told us. Apparently other schools were sent an email but we didn’t get one.
“It’s UK-wide apparently, with reports in Northern Ireland that kids and teachers have been sent home, with schools there told to take it seriously.
“It’s a bit stressful, we were enjoying our training, and got this shock, but it’s worrying, and the unknown of what happens tomorrow. We are all just a bit shaken up about the bomb threat, as you could imagine.
“It was just as well the kids were off today as that would have been a logistical nightmare getting them all picked up and taken home.
“We have all been sent home and are now just waiting to hear more regarding going back to school tomorrow when the pupils return from their holiday.”
The paper also reported that Pirniehall, Queensferry and St Andrew's Fox Covert primaries were among the schools affected.
The Scottish Government said it was informed about the hoax threats.
A spokesperson said: “We are aware threatening messages have been sent to a number of schools across Scotland and elsewhere in the UK. Police Scotland is investigating and treating (them) as a hoax.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton, the MSP for Edinburgh North Western, said: "The council, police and schools must always act with the utmost caution when issues like this arise.
"Thankfully today is an in-service day in Edinburgh so children are not in schools but there will still be many teachers, administrators and other staff, as well as parents and kids, searching for facts. I hope that as soon as more information is available it is provided to those concerned."
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In Northern Ireland, education minister Paul Givan told reporters at Stormont that 160 schools had received an email that morning claiming there were devices in the buildings.
He said it appeared to be from Islamists threatening that sharia law would be brought into the country, and that it had been signed off "Allahu Akbar".
He said: "That has been escalated to the PSNI, and the Education Authority are having emergency meetings with the police this morning. At this stage the advice to schools is that we're not treating this as a viable threat but it has clearly caused huge alarm."
Some schools in Northern Ireland closed, while others stayed open on police advice.