Mr Johnson added: “We will provide extra support to ensure that pupils entitled to free school meals will continue to receive them while schools are closed, and we will distribute more devices to support remote education.”
Mr Johnson said he recognised the “inconvenience and distress” that the late change would cause millions of parents and pupils up and down the country.
Speaking on Monday, he said: “Parents whose children were in school today may reasonably ask why we did not take this decision sooner.
“The answer is simply that we have been doing everything in our power to keep schools open because we know how important each day in education is to children’s life chances.”
