Nicola Sturgeon will provide an update to parents, pupils and teachers today on when classrooms are likely to be able to reopen.
Schools have remained closed to the vast majority of pupils in Scotland since the beginning of the Christmas holidays as a new strain of coronavirus saw the number of infections rocket over the New Year.
Only the children of key workers are being offered places at hub schools, with other pupils expected to follow remote learning programmes.
The First Minister will chair a meeting of the Scottish Government Cabinet this morning before making a statement in Holyrood this afternoon.
She is expected to explain why schools are unlikely to be able to reopen in early February and must stay closed into next month.
Speaking at her regular media briefing yesterday, the First Minister said: “Schools are closed to the majority of pupils right now to February 1.
"We said we would review mid January, which is now, and I will set out the conclusion on that. I am not going to raise parents’ expectations.”
She added there were some “positive” signs on infection levels, but warned that transmission is still higher than the Government would like it to be.
She said: “Therefore I am not going to raise anybody’s expectations about schools being back on the 1st of February, but nor am I going to stand here and make assumptions about a decision that we won’t actually take until tomorrow.”
It came after her deputy, John Swinney, cautioned against a return of schools early next month.
He said: “I think that’s a tall order, to be honest."
