The Department of Basic Education (DBE) of South Africa has given the green light to the 2025 school calendar. The changes to the September break stands out and has given rise to the most discussions between students, parents, and educators. This report provides an in-depth analysis of the calendar and changes granted to the September break along with the effects to both public and private schools within the South African education system.
A Recap of the 2025 Academic Year
Following the established schedule, public schools will commence instruction on January 15. The academic activities for the year will conclude on December 10, 2025. As with previous years, the year will be divided into four terms comprising 200 effective teaching days. The terms have been arranged as follows: During Term 1, from January 15 to March 28, students will have 11 weeks of instruction. Term 2 will run from April 8 to June 27 and will span 12 weeks. Term 3, which runs from July 22 to October 3, and Term 1 will both have 11 instructional weeks. Finally, Term 4 will run from October 13 to December 10 and will be 9 weeks long.
Information About the September Break
We have the September break in the year 2025 planned for 10 days from the 26th of September to 5th of October, with classes resuming on the 6th of October. This time, the breaks are shorter in order to adhere to departmental targets regarding instructional time and work-rest balance for the final term. The break also coincides with Heritage Day, which is a public holiday to celebrate South Africa’s cultural diversity. Also, in Gauteng and Western Cape, the Midterm breaks have been extended by an extra day to allow for local functions and school maintenance. Given that there might be some differences, it is advisable for parents to verify the dates with the schools their children attend.
Effects on Pupil and Their Families
The shortened September break is most advantageous to the K-12 pupils, especially those in the matric classes set to undertake final examinations in November. To these students’ teachers, particularly those instructing grades 10 and 11, these breaks are welcomed as they help preserve the flow academic momentum as the curriculum nears completion. For spring holidays, some parents express their displeasure regarding the shortened breaks for family vacations and the related culture and community events. Along with language and sports camps, vacation camps deal with childcare problems and are also of a local nature as advertised in Rainbow Kids.
Private Schools and Their Unique Operations
The independent schools are not bound by the policies of the Department of Basic Education (DBE), and therefore do not use the DBE school diary. The behaviour of schools under the Independent Schools Association of South Africa (ISASA) managed schools is unlike that of public schools. Public schools together with the majority of these schools start on the 15th of January and end on the 3rd of December. There is also a peculiar few which, apart from adhering to the three term system, also have shorter school hours. For the academic year calendars of private schools, parents need to contact the specific schools. Jessie noted, “ISASA schools in KwaZulu-Natal are said to be different from the other ISASA schools.”
Preparing to Take the Exam
Everything that was changed in the 2025 calendar—I assume you’re talking about the school calendar—was done so as to try and raise the academic standards of the students and try to attend to their welfare in general. As published in the DBE Website (www.education.gov.za), students and guardians are to take note of these dates and are supposed to make and adhere to timetables for examination revision periods, to comply to the DBE or school issued communications. If advanced planning is done, students will be able to rest corporally and mentally over the September break.
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