Schools in England will not reopen after the February half-term, the prime minister has confirmed.
Addressing MPs in the Commons, Boris Johnson said there is not enough data to justify all pupils returning to the classroom.
Instead, the prime minister said it was the government’s ambition for them to return from 8 March.
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Primary and secondary schools in England have been closed for all pupils, apart from the children of key workers and those who are vulnerable, during the country’s third COVID-19 lockdown.
A return in February was suggested by Mr Johnson as a possibility when he announced the shutdown, but ministers in recent weeks have pointedly declined to give a firm date for primary schools returning.
In an interview with Sky News last week, Health Secretary Matt Hancock refused to guarantee that schools would reopen before Easter.
Mr Johnson has said that reopening schools will be a priority as lockdown is eased.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called for teachers and support staff, along with other key workers, to be prioritised for a coronavirus jab over the February half-term, once those in the top four priority groups have been inoculated.
The party says the move should form part of a “national effort” to get pupils back in the classroom.
It would mean teachers and support staff being offered a vaccine alongside individuals in priority groups five to nine on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation list.
The party said that other workers who should be prioritised include transport workers, supermarket staff, police officers, firefighters and prison staff.