Schools in England will reopen to all pupils from September, Boris Johnson has announced.
Primary and secondary schools will 'recommence with full attendance', the Prime Minister told the House of Commons on Tuesday.
'Wraparound care' for school-age children and formal childcare will also 'restart over the summer', the PM added.
He said: "Those children who can already go to school should do so because it is safe.
"We will publish Covid-secure guidelines for every sector that is reopening and slowly but surely these measures will restore a sense of normality.
"After the toughest restrictions in peacetime history, we’re now able to make life easier for people to see more of their friends and family and help businesses get back on their feet and get people back into work."
It came as PM announced the two-metre social distancing rule will be reduced to 'one metre-plus' from July 4.
He told the Commons: "Given the significant fall in the prevalence of the virus we can change the two-metre social distancing rule from July 4.
"Where it is possible to keep two metres apart, people should.
"But where it is not, we will advise people to keep a social distance of one metre-plus, meaning they should remain one metre apart while taking mitigations to reduce the risk of transmission."
Mr Johnson concluded in the Commons: "Today we can say that our long national hibernation is beginning to come to an end and life is returning to our streets and to our shops, the bustle is starting to come back and a new but cautious optimism is palpable.
"But I must say to the House it will be all too easy for that frost to return, and that is why we will continue to trust in the common sense and the community spirit of the British people to follow this guidance, to carry us through and to see us to victory over this virus."
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