Prime minister Boris Johnson has told ministers to “ramp up” preparations to reopen schools more widely after he was informed that the UK is past the peak of the current wave of Covid-19, it has been reported.

According to today’s The Daily Telegraph, Mr Johnson has made it clear that education must be the government’s immediate focus.

However, a scientist belonging to the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) today warned that infection rates were “nowhere near” low enough for schools to reopen more widely.

Mr Johnson is expected to announce further support for catch-up programmes shortly.

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According to The Daily Telegraph, Mr Johnson has asked ministers and officials to work up “innovative ways of making up for lost classroom time”.

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Chief medical officer Chris Whitty told Mr Johnson that the peak of coronavirus infections had been passed last week, the paper reports, as new data showed that infections in every region of the country had subsided to pre-new year levels.

The prime minister has made it his first priority to reopen schools more widely from 8 March.

One senior government source was quoted as saying: “The prime minister is really determined to get children’s education back on track and to make sure that those who have fallen behind don’t stay behind.

“We are going to make sure we give them the help to do that.”