School closures in Scotland: Everything we know so far

Various media reports have suggested that schools in England could open as soon as the start of June.

Nicola Sturgeon

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has indicated that primary school pupils will be prioritised when lockdown restrictions ease. And The Sunday Telegraph reported that the Prime Minister would announce next Sunday that primary schools could reopen as early as June 1st, with the newspaper quoting Whitehall sources who added that reopening could be delayed as the result of new data from the Office for National Statistics in the coming week.

But Nicola Sturgeon made clear on Sunday that The Scottish Government will make the decision on schools reopening in Scotland.

The First Minister echoed the message in a tweet by the Welsh Government that the Welsh education minister would announce when their schools reopen, not the UK Government.

Ms Sturgeon said: “Same for Scotland. @scotgov - in discussion with local authorities - will decide safe timetable for re-opening schools. And we will keep pupils, parents and the public properly informed along the way.”

Education secretary John Swinney also responded directly on twitter to the story in The Sunday Telegraph, to say they are working with local authorities, parents and teaching unions to agree what needs to be done to re-open schools safely for staff and pupils.

In her press briefing yesterday, health secretary Jeane Freeman said the decision has still not been made on when schools will reopen.

Ms Freeman said officials are working through all the available evidence on where the country is with the R number (the average number of people who will contract COVID-19 from one person with the virus). She added there are “encouraging signs”, but warned the government will have to look closely at "what any lifting of restrictions is likely to do to that R number."