Schools across the North have been empty since lockdown in March
Mr Weir was speaking during a meeting of a Stormont committee on Thursday.
He said: “Subject to medical guidance and safety, it would be my aim to see a phased reopening of schools.”
Schools here have been closed since March during the coronavirus crisis.
Mr Weir said the reopening of schools would begin with “limited provision for key cohort years in August, followed by a phased provision for all pupils at the beginning of September”.
Speaking later at the executive’s daily press conference, Mr Weir clarified that “key cohorts” referred to those students preparing for exams, such as GCSEs and A-Levels, and students “transitioning from primary to post-primary”.
He added: “This will not be a return to school as it was prior to Covid, but rather a new normal reflective of social distancing and a medically safe regime.
“For all pupils it will involve a mixture of scheduled school attendance and learning at home.
“In line with the executive’s strategy contingent upon medically sound advice and susceptibility of the transmission of the virus, consideration may be given to a return of younger cohorts.
He announced a new scheme to be run by the Education Authority to provide laptops to support remote learning for disadvantaged pupils.
The Department of Education will commit to buying more laptops if they are required, he added.
Mr Weir said there are about 300 to 400 vulnerable children attending schools that are open only to provide care, a figure he said was “small but increasing”.
The minister said he was “conscious some school pupils are more at risk of falling behind than others”.
