Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell said the app will ensure parents receive immediate alerts if their child's school is to be closed the following day.

"The past few months have been incredibly challenging both for school communities in bushfire and now flood impacted areas," Ms Mitchell said.

"We have learnt you can never over-communicate in a crisis. This app provides an extra channel to inform parents if their children's school is closed.

"During the fires last year and floods this year, schools worked incredibly hard to ensure everyone was informed. The app complements these efforts with an automated and personalised alert informing parents their school is closed and to seek additional advice."

At the peak of the bushfire crisis, in November, there were up to 20,000 people accessing school safety information on the department's website each minute - and a total of 1.35 million visitors in the last four months.

The app will expand over time to provide more centralised information to parents and families.

"It will be particularly helpful for parents with children at separate schools, as multiple schools can be registered on the app to provide local information," Ms Mitchell said.

The app is an opt-in service, and is available at app stores for iOS and Android users.

Download the School Updates app:

• Download for iOS - App Store.
• Download for Android - Google Play.

Information about non-operational schools is also available on the school safety page.