Millions of pupils are reportedly facing longer days at school next term to make up for lost time due to the coronavirus lockdown.
Today ministers are expected to publish a plan which will include funding for "bolt-on" sessions either at the start of the school day or at the end for kids to catch up.
And a Whitehall source is reported to have told the Daily Telegraph: "The best place for children to learn is in a school environment, so it makes sense to try and do catch-up work at school rather than trying to do it through home learning.
"There has rightly been a lot of focus on the impact on disadvantaged children but all children have missed out on their education so we need a catch-up programme that is open to everyone."
However, it has been reported ministers will not implement the change through legislation.
Instead, schools will be asked to hold the catch-up sessions on site from next term.
Boris Johnson has this week promised a "massive catch-up operation" to try to minimise the impact of the lockdown on children's education.
Teachers, though, won't be expected to work during the summer under the plans, it is understood.
A study by University College London's Institute of Education this week found that two million children have done less than an hour a day of schoolwork during lockdown.
Only 17 per cent have done more than fours a day. Some teaching unions have resisted efforts to get teachers to live-stream lessons, with the result that many schools have been unable to offer online classes.
And unions have also advised teachers should not be expected to mark work done at home.
The Prime Minister clashed with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer this week over the continuing difficulty in getting children back to school.
Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Johnson suggested that Labour and the teaching unions were hampering efforts to get schools restarted.
He said one of the best ways to help the poorest children in the country "would be to encourage all kids who can go back to school to go back to school now, because their schools are safe".
The Prime Minister repeatedly challenged Sir Keir to say it was safe for children to return and accused the Opposition of "wibble-wobble" over the issue.
