Children should have at least 32.5 hours of school each week, ministers will announce next week amid concerns that some schools are short changing pupils on lesson time.

By September 2023, all schools will be expected to comply with this, under plans set out by the Department for Education (DfE) in a new white paper on Monday.

Ministers have previously been urged to extend the school day to help children catch up on lost learning after the disruption they have faced due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But they have resisted calls for this and are instead opting to encourage schools to operate for a minimum number of hours each week.

Schools are allowed to set their own holiday timetable as long as they adhere to the 190 statutory minimum of teaching days each year. But there is currently no guidance or regulations on how many hours of the day schools should stay open for.

The 32.5-hour school week is equivalent to 8.45am to 3.15pm for five days a week. Officials believe that most schools already adhere to this but that there is discrepancy across the country. A child who receives 20 minutes less of teaching time per day would lose out on around 2 weeks of schooling per year.

Nadhim Zahawi, the Education Secretary, said his focus is to create “strong schools and great teachers for every child”. He believes that school closures for prolonged periods during the pandemic has brought into focus the importance of children spending as much time in the classroom as possible.