Young children could start returning to nurseries in England from June 1, with the Government aiming for all primary school pupils to go back for a month before summer.
The Government expects pre-school children to be able to return to early years settings, and for Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 pupils to be back in school in "smaller sizes", from the start of next month.
It aims to ensure that the youngest children, and those preparing for secondary school, have "maximum time with their teachers".
The Government's Covid-19 recovery strategy said that the ambition is for all primary school children to return to school before the summer holidays for a month "if feasible" - but this will be kept under review.
The Department of Education will engage with schools and early years providers to develop further detail and guidance on how schools should facilitate this.
The 50-page strategy, published on Monday, added that secondary schools and further education colleges should prepare to begin some "face-to-face contact" with Year 10 and 12 students who have key exams next year.
Schools, colleges and nurseries closed seven weeks ago due to the coronavirus outbreak, remaining open only for vulnerable youngsters and the children of key workers.
The strategy says local authorities and schools should urge more vulnerable children, as well as the children of critical workers, to attend school as there is a "large societal benefit".
The Government is also amending its guidance to clarify that paid childcare, such as nannies and childminders, can take place subject to being able to meet its key public health principles.
The strategy document says this should enable "more working parents to return to work."
Yesterday it was reported how the majority of secondary school pupils will not attend classes before September at the earliest.
The only secondary school pupils likely to attend school in any form before September are pupils in Years 10 and 12, who will be able to have some face-to-face time with teachers to support their home learning.
Government officials said the remaining secondary school age pupils in England would not be expected to return to school before the summer holidays.
one headteacher expressed concerns about how social distancing could be managed, particularly with younger children.
Bryony Baynes, headteacher of Kempsey Primary School, told the PA news agency: "I'm slightly flabbergasted.
"I understand that we need to begin the sense of returning to normality, and I understand that a big part of returning to normal is getting the school back up and going.
"However, how on earth are we to manage social distancing between reception and year one pupils when most of them are aged four and five?
"Boris has made a very general statement tonight and then he's gone off and all of my parents will now be clamouring for details.
"I don't know how to manage that and I don't know how to manage getting the reception class into school and keeping them safe."
