The First Minister is expected to give an update in parliament later today (Tuesday) on the most recent review of lockdown restrictions.
And Nicola Sturgeon will address school closures during her statement as advised during her daily briefing yesterday (Monday).
Although there has been no confirmation of whether schools will reopen this month, it is expected that teachers, parents and pupils will be given two weeks’ notice of such a move.
Education secretary John Swinney previously said it was likely the youngest primary school children and nursery pupils would be among the first to return as clinical research suggests they are very unlikely to transmit Covid.
He also said those transitioning from primary to secondary school and in senior years studying for qualifications would likely return before most.
The First Minister herself said consideration would be given to a “phased return to in-school learning in mid-February” if possible although warned this would be reliant on there being a sustained reduction in case numbers.
Last week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said March 8 was the earliest date for a return of pupils in England although added that he wanted all pupils to get back in the classroom at the same time. He said: “The date of March 8 is the earliest that we think it is sensible to set for schools to go back.
“I’m hopeful but that’s the earliest that we can do it and it depends on lots of things going right, and it also depends on us all now continuing to work together to drive down the incidence of the disease through the basic methods we’ve used throughout this pandemic.”
Northern Irish schools won’t return until at least March 8 but Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford said at the end of last week that there would be a phased return for primary school children from February 22 providing Covid rates in the country continued falling.
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