There are three options being considered for forthcoming school exams for pupils across Ayrshire as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Following the First Minister's announcement yesterday that all schools will close from Friday, education secretary John Swinney will outline details of the impact.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority Higher and National 5 exams were scheduled to start on Monday, April 27 through til Thursday, June 4.

Now, Mr Swinney said, there are three options available.

First, the exam diet could proceed, albeit with changes to how it is carried out with children split into groups throughout the school rather than the usual setup of having them all gathered in an assembly hall with retired teachers serving as invigilators.

Secondly, exams could be delayed til later in the year.

Thirdly, alternative accreditation could be processed based on course work already produced by pupils. This would include a collection of prelim results and estimations based on teachers' judgment of students.

Mr Swinney said this morning that he has asked the SQA to provide him with one of the options ahead of his statement before parliament this afternoon on how schools will be impacted by the coronavirus crisis.

Schools are expected to remain open for children of key workers, such as healthcare staff, and for vulnerable children, such as those who are entitled to meals.

We will bring you more as and when it is available.