The Federal Education Minister has walked back a withering attack on the Victorian Premier, hours after urging parents to ignore the state's leader and instead send their children back to school.

Dan Tehan accused Daniel Andrews of taking a "sledgehammer" to the state's education sector as tension bubbled over between the state and federal governments.

"The question to Daniel Andrews, sure, take a sledgehammer to defeating coronavirus, but why are you taking a sledgehammer also to the state education system?" he told Insiders.

Mr Tehan also accused Mr Andrews of a failure of leadership, about an hour before Victoria announced the closure a school due to a coronavirus outbreak.

By 2:00pm AEST, Mr Tehan conceded his attack had gone too far.

"It was this frustration that led me to overstep the mark in questioning Premier Andrews' leadership on this matter and I withdraw," Mr Tehan said in a statement.

"I will continue working constructively with my state counterparts as they run their state school systems to support them with the best medical and education expert advice the Federal Government can offer."

Prime Minister Scott Morrison wants all public schools to return to face-to-face learning by June, but Victoria has insisted it would make its own decisions about when to encourage parents to send children back to classrooms.

Speaking after Mr Tehan, Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said Meadowglen Primary School would be closed for cleaning for three days.

Mr Morrison has previously said that parents should follow the directions of state and territory leaders on whether to send their children back to school.

But Mr Tehan, on Insiders, suggested that was no longer the case.

"No, our advice is that parents should listen to the medical expert panel," he said.

That prompted a rebuke from Ms Mikakos, who called on Mr Morrison to intervene.

"I think it's important that the Prime Minister clarifies today whether Dan Tehan is speaking for his Government," she said.

"I refer you back to the Prime Minister's own comments, just recently, where he asked Victorian parents to listen to the advice of the Victorian Premier."

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Ms Mikakos insisted state authorities were best placed to decide the future of the schools.

"I encourage Victorian parents to continue to heed the advice of our Government," she said.

"We are the Government that runs our schools in Victoria, we are the Government that is leading the public health response that is keeping Victorians safe.

"If we just look to the fact today that we've had a staff member in a school test positive.

"I'm sure Dan Tehan would have liked to have had that knowledge, that the Premier has had, that I have had, that our Education Minister has had before making those remarks earlier today."

Victorian state schools, which remain open, have been running online learning for up to 97 per cent of students this term,

That is based on the advice from Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton, who has warned restarting teaching in classrooms now could jeopardise the state's progress in reducing coronavirus transmission.

"[Daniel Andrews'] state chief medical officer is on the national medical expert panel, that national medical expert panel says that it's safe for children to be in schools and it's safe for teachers to be at school with the right protocols," Mr Tehan said.

Federal Opposition education spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek said she was disappointed with Mr Tehan's approach.

"Everyone wants students back in the classroom as soon as it's safe for students and staff to be there," she said.

"It would be good if the Federal Government would work cooperatively with the states, rather than name calling."

Mr Tehan praised the leadership of Western Australia, the Northern Territory and South Australia, where public schools have reopened with a 70 per cent attendance rate.

"This is a failure of leadership from Dan Andrews and you know where the impact is being felt, on the most disadvantaged children," he said.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has committed to one day a week in classrooms from mid-May, with a full timetable by term three.

Queensland will not make a decision on reopening classrooms until May 15.

Though willing to criticise Victoria, Mr Tehan said he was satisfied NSW and Queensland had "plans" to return to classroom education.

"We have one state premier in particular who is jeopardising the national consensus on this," he said.

Mr Tehan, in recent days, offered to bring forward $3 billion in funding for independent and catholic schools if they could get students back into the classroom by June.

The principal of a Melbourne religious school said his school felt like it was "being bribed" into bringing students back.

The state's Education Minister James Merlino offered a similar sentiment, and accused the Federal Government of using the funding to try to undermine the state's strategy on face-to-face learning.

"Expert health advice, not money, should determine whether nor not a school fully opens," he said.

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