THE Welsh Government hope to confirm whether schools in Wales will re-open after half-term by the end of the week.

Negotiations are continuing with teaching unions this week in the of being bale to make an announcement on Friday.

A phased return to the classroom, starting with primary school children, could begin after the February half-term break if Covid-19 cases continue to fall in Wales.

If primary pupils are able to return to school after half-term, it would put Wales ahead of the other UK nations.

In England pupils are not expected to return before March 8, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.

Ms Morgan, minister for mental health, wellbeing and Welsh language, said: “We are absolutely determined to reopen schools as early as possible and that’s why there will be intensive discussions with unions this week to make sure that we can put all of the things in place so that we can ensure the safety, as far as possible, of the students and teachers.

“We have to keep an eye on the levels of virus within our communities, and we will always be looking to the scientific evidence to support us in what we are doing.”

Ms Morgan told the Welsh Government briefing that First Minister Mark Drakeford has already said he wants to give parents, pupils and teaching staff two weeks’ notice before a phased return begins.

“We’re expecting an announcement on that on Friday but of course that will be determined by those negotiations that will be held this week,” she said.

“The focus will absolutely be on those children who are youngest, who find it most difficult to learn online and need that socialisation perhaps more than some of the older children.

“We are very determined to try and get those foundation phase children back to school as soon as possible.”

Ms Morgan said the Welsh Government is also looking at ways of getting older students studying vocational courses back into the classroom.

“That is why, if we can, we would like to get those students back to school on those more vocational practical courses, so that they can be assessed correctly,” she said.

“Of course, those negotiations will continue, and there will be an effort to make sure that those children, and those peoples can be assessed properly, irrespective of the situation we’re in.”

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The news comes on the day that the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) warned that time lost in school could cost pupils as much as £40,000 over their lifetime.

The report warns: "An extensive review of the returns to schooling finds that a year of schooling increases individuals’ earnings by 8 per cent per year, on average, across advanced and high-income countries.

"By the time children go back to school, most will have lost at least half a year of normal schooling.

"The lifetime costs of this could be very large indeed.

"Imagine someone earning £1 million over their working life (not far off the likely average in the UK).

"For this person, losing half a year of schooling will mean losing £40,000 in income over their lifetime."