WALES' education minister has said the situation "has not changed" with regards to children returning to schools, despite Boris Johnson's announcement for schools across the border.

The prime minister said in the Commons today that he hoped schools in England would reopen from March 8.

"If we achieve our target of vaccinating everyone in the four most vulnerable groups with their first dose by February 15, and every passing day sees more progress towards that goal, then those groups (will) have developed immunity from the virus about three-weeks later, that is by March 8," he said.

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"We hope it will therefore be safe to begin the reopening of schools from Monday, March 8.

"With other economic and social restrictions being removed thereafter as and when the data permits... then or thereafter I should say."

Responding to the announcement, Kirsty Williams said: "You will have have seen the PM's announcement regarding schools in England.

"The situation in Wales has not changed.

"The first minister will be providing the Welsh Government three-week review update this Friday."

Earlier on Wednesday, at the Welsh Government press conference, Dr Frank Atherton said getting pupils back into school was a priority in Wales.

"As we do get some more headroom for releasing these measures what we need to do is release things very cautiously," he said.

"Ministers have been very clear that getting schools back to face-to-face learning is a very high priority and that will be one of the things we aim to do first.

"I can't give you an absolute figure at which we would say it is suitable to start reopening schools.

"We need to look at the community transmission rate, we need to look at the capacity within the NHS, and we now need to look at the percentage of people that are now vaccinated."

Mr Johnson agreed that schools should be a priority, telling the Commons: "The first sign of normality beginning to return should be pupils going back to their classrooms."