The government is reportedly finalising plans for longer school days to combat the learning lost as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

The plans are said to include funding for “bolt-on” sessions at each end of the school day to help pupils catch up on missed teaching.

Citing a Whitehall source, the Daily Mail reported that schools will be asked to extend provision on site.

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The news comes amid expectations that the government is set to announce a year-long catch-up tutoring scheme for pupils to recover lost learning time.

The Department for Education is said to be ready to fund thousands of approved private tutors to deliver lessons either one to one or in small groups through a mixture of online and face-to-face sessions.

It has also been suggested that extra catch-up cash for schools to spend as they see fit could be part of an education recovery plan expected to be announced tomorrow.

The tutoring will be available to both primary and secondary pupils in all schools and will be targeted towards the most disadvantaged pupils, according to a report in The Guardian.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We are working with partners to develop a long-term package of support for children to catch up on lost learning as a result of coronavirus, building upon the £100 million of support already made available to help children learn from home.

“Detailed and ambitious plans for this will be announced shortly.”