´óÏó´«Ã½

When will schools open up again? It's the big question for many of you.

It's difficult to know for sure at this point and education is one of the areas where each of the UK's four nations can do what best suits their own country.

That means that schools in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland may open at different times, depending on the different lockdowns in each country.

It's also expected that schools may open in a staggered way, rather than all pupils starting back at the same time.

Some experts and teaching unions have also called for a rota system where pupils have a mixture of time in school and remote learning.

Since the Christmas holidays and the rise in cases of coronavirus around the UK, schools have been closed to most pupils, except for children of key workers and those who need extra help.

Most pupils have been learning from home.

All of the leaders of the UK have said that getting children safely back into school is a priority and here's what they have been saying about their timetables for that

Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford says schools could begin to go back from 22 February if the rate of coronavirus cases continues to come down, with Welsh education minister Kirsty Williams saying telling Newsround: 'We want you back into to school as soon as possible."

Newsround will also be aiming to speak to the people in charge of schools in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, so watch this space.

In Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on 19 January that "If it is at all possible, as I very much hope it will be, to begin even a phased return to in-school learning in mid-February, we will."

The plan is for pupils to begin a staggered return to school from 22 February with P1-P3 going back to the classroom first along with older secondary pupils who have "practical" assignments to complete will be allowed to return on a "part-time" basis

In England, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said returning to class won't start before 8 March and Northern Ireland's ministers have also said most pupils in Northern Ireland will not return to school until Monday 8 March.

Boris Johnson promised schools would get a two weeks warning to prepare for students going back so teachers and parents can get ready, and Northern Irish First Minister Arlene Fosters said she new children would be disappointed: "The kitchen table is no substitute for the school desk," she said.