The Education Department proposes that the start of the school year be September 8th for the next three years.
Starting next year, all secondary schools will have to hold classes three afternoons a week.
BarcelonaThe government is taking another step forward in its attempt to end the annual back-and-forth regarding the start date of the school year. This Tuesday, the Department of Education proposed in a meeting with unions that the next school year begin on Tuesday, September 8th, exactly the same day students returned to classrooms this year. This would mark the start of classes for preschool (from age 1-3), primary school, and secondary school (ESO), as well as for upper secondary school (Bachillerato) – which until now typically returned to classrooms a few days later – and basic vocational training (FP). Regarding the end date of the school year, the government is aiming for classes to conclude on June 18, 2027. The Department of Education also proposes that September 14th be the start date for students in intermediate and advanced vocational training programs, specialization courses, specific training pathways, and job placement programs.
Although the Catalan government presents the new school calendar as "a proposal" that still needs the approval of the Catalan Education Council (CEC), in reality, the CEC is an advisory body and its opinions are not binding. Therefore, it is assumed that the Education proposal will be approved.
The same date until 2029
Beyond the relevant dates for the upcoming school year, the Catalan Ministry of Education has made a proposal that goes even further. The department, led by Esther Niubó, proposes that the start date of the school year – September 8th – be maintained for the following two school years (2027-2028 and 2028-2029). Furthermore, the end date of the school year would also be set at June 22nd for these two years. This would establish a single start and end date for the school year for the next three years, avoiding the need to negotiate them each year and allowing families to know in advance the specific vacation days for their children. According to the Catalan Ministry of Education, proposing "for the first time a three-year school year start calendar" will provide the educational community with "maximum predictability and stability." [BK_SLT_LNA] 2026-2027 School Year Vacation
Regarding the holiday dates for the next academic year – in this case, the Government is not proposing that they be the same for the next three years – the plan is for the school year to end on June 18th, which in 2027 will fall on a Friday. As for Christmas, the school holidays would begin on December 24th and last until Monday, January 10th, while for Easter, students would have a break from Saturday, March 20th to Monday, March 29th, inclusive. In addition, four discretionary holidays and two local holidays were also established. With all this, the 2026-2027 academic year will have 177 school days, exactly the same as the current year, and within the range set by the Catalan education law, which establishes that a school year must have between 175 and 177 school days. Afternoon classes in secondary schools
Furthermore, changes will also be implemented in some combined primary and secondary schools (institutos escuelas) next year. After years of delays regarding the number of afternoon classes required in these schools, the Catalan Ministry of Education has decided to regulate the system, requiring all schools to have a minimum number of afternoon classes starting next year. Thus, from the 2026-2027 academic year onwards, all combined primary and secondary schools will be required to hold at least three afternoon classes. Sources within the Ministry of Education clarify that this regulation does not imply that teachers working in these schools will have to work longer hours than their colleagues in other schools. Although the Ministry of Education states that the change will only affect 25 of the 121 public combined primary and secondary schools in Catalonia (because the rest are already holding this minimum number of afternoon classes), the decision has not been well received by the USTEC union, which asserts that there is "unanimous opposition from school administrations" to this "preliminary" measure.
In fact, USTEC also does not look favorably – as has happened in previous years – on the Education Department's proposal to start the school year before September 11th. In a statement, they denounce that bringing forward the start of the school year "worsens the quality of education" and assert that starting classes on September 8th "does not allow enough time for thorough preparation, with only five days and without the full staff."
The union also criticizes the Education Department for publishing the school calendar order "in the midst of open negotiations" with the unions – who have called a strike for February 11th – and maintains that the Government's proposal "consolidates setbacks and perpetuates a dynamic of imposition, which does not create any positive climate for progress."