Schools in Wales could allow some pupils to return after half term

Wales has been in a Level 4 lockdown since December 19. All non-essential shops have closed and children have been learning from home

Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford is expected to announce plans to introduce a phased return of primary school pupils to schools after half term.

But only if Covid-19 infection rates continue to fall.

Most children have been home schooling since the start of the year while Wales, like much of the UK, remains under lockdown.

Welsh ministers have been under pressure to confirm a plan for getting kids back to school.

However "alert level four" restrictions will remain in place for the next three weeks.

'Youngest learners' could be set to return

A Welsh Government statement said Mark Drakeford would "indicate that the youngest learners in primary school" could start going back to the classroom after the February half term if rates of coronavirus continued to fall.

Pupils who are due to sit exams could also be part of the phased return.

The statement adds that while the situation was improving in Wales, lockdown restrictions must continue for another three weeks "to allow the NHS to recover".

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'Shrinking rather than growing'

The new variant of coronavirus, which emerged before Christmas, is the main reason why the Welsh Government decided to close schools to the majority of pupils again in the new year.

There was a lot of concern this new strain was causing more infections in people.

Lockdown learning at home has become very familiar to most kids across the UK

Earlier this week, Wales' chief medical officer Frank Atherton said the outbreak was "shrinking rather than growing", which is a sign that lockdown is working, but rates were still "way too high".

It's hoped that over the next few weeks and months, with the continued roll-out of the UK's vaccination programme and signs of falling numbers of infections, that eventually more children will be able to return - but there is still a very long way to go.

Mark Drakeford has already said even after the February half-term, all pupils are unlikely to return full time.

What about the rest of the UK?

Elsewhere, most pupils in Northern Ireland will not return to school until 8 March at the earliest.

First Minister Arlene Foster said the situation there means remote learning must continue.

It follows Boris Johnson's announcement on Wednesday that schools in England will remain closed until 8 March.

Schools in Scotland are closed until at least mid-February, with a review due on 2 February.