{"id":3027,"date":"2025-04-16T12:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-16T10:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/?p=3027"},"modified":"2026-03-12T10:42:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T08:42:20","slug":"special-week-off-for-south-african-pupils-in-april-may-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/special-week-off-for-south-african-pupils-in-april-may-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Special Week Off for South African Pupils in April\/May 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>South African learners and teachers are set to enjoy an extended break as the Department of Basic Education (DBE) officially confirms a &#8220;special&#8221; school holiday week in the 2025 school calendar. This comes as part of a well-timed alignment of public holidays following the Easter long weekend, granting both pupils and educators a much-needed breather before resuming the busy second term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>ALSO READ: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/get-a-smart-id-and-passport-at-your-bank\/\">Get A Smart ID and Passport At Your Bank<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-surprise-break-in-the-school-year-for-south-african-pupils\">A Surprise Break in the School Year For South African Pupils <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The DBE has confirmed that after schools return from the Easter break on <strong>Tuesday, April 22<\/strong>, they will be in session only for a few days until <strong>Friday, April 25<\/strong>. From <strong>Monday, April 28, to Friday, May 2<\/strong>, schools will close again, thanks to a combination of public holidays and special school holidays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The extended break is due to a unique alignment of dates:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>April 27 (Freedom Day)<\/strong> falls on a <strong>Sunday<\/strong> in 2025, and its observance will be moved to <strong>Monday, April 28<\/strong>, which will then be a public holiday.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>April 29 and 30<\/strong> have been declared special school holidays.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>May 1 (Workers&#8217; Day)<\/strong> is also a public holiday.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>As a result, the entire week from April 28 to May 2 becomes a <strong>week-long school break<\/strong>, with learners and teachers expected to return on <strong>Monday, May 5, 2025<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This will boost morale among South African pupils and educators, offering an opportunity to recharge before tackling the rest of Term 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-breakdown-of-the-2025-school-calendar\">Breakdown of the 2025 School Calendar<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The 2025 school calendar includes <strong>27 school holidays<\/strong>, which is a slight increase from the 25 holidays in 2024, although fewer than the 32 holidays in 2023 and 33 in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here is the structure for public schools:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-first-term\">First Term<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Starts:<\/strong> 15 January 2025<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ends:<\/strong> 28 March 2025<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Public holiday:<\/strong> 21 March \u2013 Human Rights Day<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>School holidays:<\/strong> 29 March \u2013 7 April<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-second-term\">Second Term <\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Starts:<\/strong> 8 April 2025<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ends:<\/strong> 17 June 2025<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Public holidays:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>18 April \u2013 Good Friday<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>21 April \u2013 Family Day<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>27 April \u2013 Freedom Day (observed on 28 April)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1 May \u2013 Workers&#8217; Day<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>16 June \u2013 Youth Day<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Special school holidays:<\/strong> 29 April \u2013 2 May<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mid-year break:<\/strong> 27 June \u2013 21 July<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-third-term\">Third Term <\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Starts:<\/strong> 22 July 2025<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ends:<\/strong> 3 October 2025<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Public holidays:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>9 August \u2013 National Women\u2019s Day<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>24 September \u2013 Heritage Day<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>School holidays:<\/strong> 6 \u2013 10 October<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-fourth-term\">Fourth Term<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Starts:<\/strong> 13 October 2025<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ends:<\/strong> 10 December 2025<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Administration days:<\/strong> 11 \u2013 12 December<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-about-independent-schools\">What About Independent Schools?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa (ISASA) has confirmed that <strong>independent schools will have a slightly different calendar<\/strong>, with the school year starting on <strong>15 January 2025<\/strong> and ending on <strong>3 December 2025<\/strong>, resulting in <strong>fewer school days<\/strong> compared to public schools. Independent schools may have some flexibility in how they implement the special holiday week, but they are expected to align with the DBE calendar for consistency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-the-special-week-matters-for-south-african-pupils\">Why the Special Week Matters For South African Pupils <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>While some may see the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.iol.co.za\/lifestyle\/family\/parenting\/south-african-pupils-granted-special-holiday-week-in-2025-school-calendar-this-aprilmay-c18e1e71-cbf0-441d-b92e-50fdd6e5d6f5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> extra week off <\/a>as a disruption to academic flow, many educators and parents see it as an opportunity for rest, family time, and mental well-being. The second term often brings academic pressure and winter illnesses, and a mid-term breather could go a long way in improving learner focus and teacher preparedness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The inclusion of a &#8220;special&#8221; holiday week in the 2025 South African school calendar is a welcome surprise for pupils and educators alike. This rare alignment of public and special holidays provides a valuable pause in an otherwise packed academic schedule. As schools prepare for the months ahead, this unexpected break may just be what\u2019s needed to refresh and reset for a successful academic year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stay informed and keep track of school holidays and term dates to ensure your child stays on top of their education journey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>South African learners and teachers are set to enjoy an extended break as the Department of Basic Education (DBE) officially confirms a &#8220;special&#8221; school holiday week in the 2025 school calendar. This comes as part of a well-timed alignment of public holidays following the Easter long weekend, granting both pupils and educators a much-needed breather<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":3033,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_focus_keyword":"","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"South African learners and teachers are set to enjoy an extended break as the Department of Basic Education (DBE) officially confirms a \"special\" school...","footnotes":""},"categories":[70],"tags":[214,162],"class_list":{"0":"post-3027","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-schools","8":"tag-department-of-basic-education","9":"tag-schools-in-gauteng"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3027","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3027"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3027\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3037,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3027\/revisions\/3037"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}