Nicola Sturgeon to announce tomorrow whether schools will reopen in Scotland

Pupils will know whether they will be able to return to school in February on Tuesday, with Nicola Sturgeon set to announce the results of a review of the decision to close schools due to Covid-19.

The First Minister will make her announcement as part of her wider Covid-19 update to Holyrood on Tuesday.

Schools had initially been closed to all but key worker children prior to the imposition of a fresh lockdown on January 4, with online and blended learning expected to be the main mode of teaching until January 18.

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However, on January 4, Ms Sturgeon announced schools would remain shut until at least January 29, leaving open the possibility they may reopen in the first week of February.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will announce whether schools will stay shut in Scotland tomorrow.First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will announce whether schools will stay shut in Scotland tomorrow.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will announce whether schools will stay shut in Scotland tomorrow.
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A review of that decision is underway on Monday, with a final decision to be made by the Cabinet on Tuesday ahead of the announcement.

The Scottish Government has repeatedly stated that its main priority is to keep schools open wherever possible due to the negative impact on children and young people from missing school.

However, it is unlikely given high case numbers that schools will reopen fully from February 1, but no decision has yet been made.

Speaking when she announced the decision to postpone the return of schools, Ms Sturgeon said it was the government’s top priority in terms of measures that could be eased first.

She said: “Just as the last places we ever want to close are schools and nurseries, so it is the case that schools and nurseries will be the first places we want to reopen as we re-emerge from this latest lockdown.

"They remain our priority."

Almost three quarters of Scots believe it was the right decision to close schools in an attempt to stop the spread of Covid-19, according to a new poll.

The poll, undertaken by Savanta ComRes for The Scotsman, interviewed 1,016 people online between January 8 and 13.

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The figures show 72 per cent of Scots support somewhat or strongly support the decision to close schools, with just 7 per cent ‘somewhat’ opposing the move and 4 per cent – or one in 25 Scots – strongly opposing the move.

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