JOHN Swinney has warned that it’s unlikely Scotland’s schools will reopen early next month.

The deputy first minister is due to update MSPs on Tuesday, but this morning he said getting pupils back in class on February 1 would be a "tall order".

Earlier this month, the Government took the decision to delay the return to schools and nurseries after the Christmas break, saying there was ”significant uncertainty about the impact of the new variant on transmission amongst young people.”

Currently, only vulnerable children, and children of key workers are allowed to attend. 

At the time, Nicola Sturgeon said it was a priority to “get school buildings open again for all pupils as quickly as possible and then keep them open.”

Asked on BBC’s Good Morning Scotland if that would be possible in just over two weeks, Swinney said: “I think that’s a tall order, to be honest.

“The government will look at these questions at the cabinet on Tuesday, and the first minister will give an update to parliament on Tuesday.

“But the virus is still at a very high level in general in society, and we took the view that we had to have the level of community transmission suppressed to enable us to protect the National Health Service.”

He added: “It’s premature for me to give a definitive view on that, we’ll come to a conclusion on Tuesday and share it with parliament and the public.”

The Education Secretary was also asked about some fo the glitches with online learning that have hampered the studies of some pupils this week. 

Describing it as a "terribly tough year", Swinney said: "I can't sit here and say that remote learning, the current environment, and that the school year that we're going through is the ideal school year - it's far, far from ideal.

"I worry about the impact on the wellbeing of young people."

Asked about the different platforms, engagement and online teaching methods seen across local authority areas, Swinney said: "Fundamentally, the success of remote learning depends on its delivery by individual teachers in individual schools dealing directly with their pupils.

"I think we've seen a significant strengthening of that in the course of the last few months.

"We've published the guidance of the entitlements that learners have during a period of remote learning and that applies right across the country and schools are responding to that.

"Now, they will respond differently, and I think that's important, that we recognise that because we don't have a uniform education system here in Scotland - we have chosen over many years not to have that.

"Our system relies on the professionalism of our teachers and our teachers go through rigorous training to establish themselves as professionals, they are regulated by the General Teaching Council.

"We have a really strong teaching profession in Scotland and they are the forefront of deciding what are the right steps for their learners at every different stage in the year and in the curriculum.

"And I think trusting our professional teachers to deliver remote learning is a fundamental strength in college education, and it makes sure that young people are able to get access to high-quality learning, wherever they live in the country."