School holidays during the academic year. Holidays in quarters. How the school holiday calendar is formed

I am used to the fact that the new school year begins on the first of September. And to be honest, it never even occurred to me that in different countries of the world it could start at different times. Do you want to know when?

Japanese first-graders go to school in early April, when the cherry blossoms begin to bloom. Spring, they believe in Japan, is the beginning of a new life, so it’s time to start learning!

And study very hard! After all, the holidays will come only in 5 months. A break is announced for the end of July and the whole of August. At this time, due to the high humidity in Japan, it is very stuffy, and all residents of the country find it difficult to bear this time. The next holidays are in December, after which school continues until March.

Some Japanese mothers are very attentive to their child's education. They maintain close contact with teachers, participate in school life, and in exceptional cases, if their child is sick, they can go to school instead and listen to school material.

In the spring, in April, the school year begins in India. Indian children, as early as three years old, begin to attend the so-called play school, where they spend 2-3 hours playing and learning letters. And at the age of 4 they enter first grade.

Only men teach in Indian schools. Mathematics is considered the most revered subject. Each school also has its own special uniform, which children wear all the time. And you can immediately see from the child what school he comes from.

Big holidays in India announced in the hottest months are May and June. Classes resume in early July, when the heat becomes a little less brutal.

In Germany, the school year begins at the end of August - beginning of September. There is no specific day for this event. In addition to textbooks and school uniforms, children prepare a large bag for the Day of Knowledge. This tradition dates back to the 19th century. They enthusiastically glue it together from paper and paint it. And parents put a gift there for the first-grader. With such a bag in their hands, students are sure to take their first school photos. And then they tear up the paper with excitement. There may be sweets, books, and maybe... new shoes!

Spanish children start school at the end of September - beginning of October. The school year ends in mid-June, and students are given grades from 1 to 10. There are no diaries, grades in notebooks or for answers on the board in Spanish schools. And if parents do not consider it necessary to find out how their child is studying, no one will tell them about successes or problems.

American schools are free to choose the day when to start the school year. However, according to the rules, they must meet a certain period - open the school doors between mid-August and mid-September.

China celebrates Knowledge Day with us on September 1st. On this day, the doors of schools open in the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Belarus, and the Baltic countries. On the first of September, Israeli schoolchildren are given balloons at a festive assembly, on which they write their wishes and together release them into the sky. What do you think they wish for?

School for students is the same work as work for their parents. And every working person knows that it is possible to effectively fulfill one’s duties only when periods of activity alternate with time allotted for rest and recuperation. That is why students are given not only a short-term change of activity in the form of breaks or physical education lessons, but also long-awaited multi-day ones.

Even those young Muscovites who are truly drawn to knowledge and love going to school look forward to the holidays. With the current workload of students, they do not have many free hours to walk in the yard, reach a new level in a computer game, or engage in a favorite hobby. For representatives of graduating classes in middle or high school, the holidays provide another important opportunity - to begin (or intensify) preparation for serious life challenges in the form of or.

It is quite difficult to find time to visit a tutor if the student already needs to solve many problems every day, write essays and compose abstracts on numerous school subjects. Information about vacation times is also of interest to parents, because everyone wants to spend a vacation with their family, traveling around the country or visiting relatives. Muscovites who today want to competently plan the 2018-2019 school year should familiarize themselves in advance with the long-term school education plan for this period.

Find out in advance what dates your child can take a quiet break from school.

Reform in determining vacation time

Russian educational departments have been discussing the topic of vacation time for several years now. Now Russian schools in general (and Moscow schools in particular) have quite broad rights in this matter. The Education Department formulates recommendations, and the school administration, based on this document, determines the dates of vacations planned for the autumn, spring, winter and summer periods. Of course, there are general requirements that are mandatory for all school administrations in Moscow:

• students are supposed to rest from autumn to spring for at least 30-35 days;
• the first day of vacation must fall on Monday;
• on hot summer days, schoolchildren of all ages should receive two months free from study or practice;
• in the quarterly education system, each new educational period must be preceded by at least a seven-day rest.

Today, the capital’s schools use several options for dividing the school year:

• “quarter” classics, when students have to study for four quarters, separated by short holidays in autumn, winter and spring, as well as long summer vacations;
• trimester structure - in this case, three periods of study are interspersed with vacation periods of longer duration than in the case of the quarter approach;
• two-semester approach - reminiscent of the university system, only without sessions and with long holidays between study periods. Most often, this is how the educational process is organized for 10-11th graders, because they need to have time to gain maximum knowledge and early master the program necessary to pass final exams. Toddlers, of course, are not able to study so intensively;
• modular educational process - in this case, the academic year is divided into five relatively equal parts with small vacancies between them.

Such a diverse approach to determining the structure of the school year has been repeatedly criticized - adherents of Soviet practice have more than once proposed issuing centralized instructions to school administrations. The main argument is the fact that different holiday periods do not allow for the normal planning of numerous creative competitions and other events held for schoolchildren.

Some of the students have free time at this time, while others have to travel to events, taking time away from their studies. Moscow schools even conducted a survey among parents to determine which structural approach could satisfy the majority of families, but no clear leader emerged. It looks like 2018/2019 will continue as usual.

Let us remind you that the most common options in the capital’s schools are studies in quarters or modular blocks, so it is for these that we will provide recommended vacancy dates. The final version of the schedule will appear only in March 2019 - the Ministry of Education will formulate its recommendations approximately 6 months before the start of the school period.

Holidays in 2019 when studying in quarters

The approximate schedule for the 2018/2019 academic year is as follows:

• the start of school will fall on 09/03/2018 (September 1 is a Saturday, so on this day some schools can only schedule a ceremonial assembly).
• autumn holidays will take place from 10/29/2018 to 11/05/2018 inclusive, since the day off is postponed to Monday due to the 4th – National Unity Day;
• the next academic period will last from 11/06/2018 to 12/28/29/2018. Perhaps, on December 29, schoolchildren will actually have to study - all because the next Saturday will be designated as the work day for December 31.
• 12/31/2018-12/10/2019 - recommended vacation dates, which can be extended until January 13 inclusive, because going to classes on a Friday is not advisable;
• 02/02/2019-02/25/2019 – another short vacation period for primary schoolchildren. Additional rest on Monday occurs due to the postponement of the Saturday celebration of Defender of the Fatherland Day to the next working day;
• 03/01/2019-03/22/2019 - the educational process, which will end with spring vacancies, approximately falling for the period from 03/25/2019 to 04/31/2019;
• 04.05.2019-24(31.05.2019) is the last period of study under the quarter system, after which summer holidays for schoolchildren will begin.

Holidays in 2019 according to the modular system

Let us recall that such a schedule is usually represented by alternating 5 or 6 weeks allocated for training with 1 week of rest. Students will have to spend the year in this mode:

• 09/03/2018-10/5/2018 – first training module. The time from October 8 to October 14, 2018 is a rest period;
• 10.15.2018-11.16.2018 – second training module. From November 19 to November 25, 2018, schoolchildren will be able to relax;
• 26.11.2018-28(29).12.2018 – the last push before the holiday vacancies, which will take place from December 31 to January 10(13), 2019 inclusive;
• 01/15/2019-02/15/2019 - a new period of study, which will end with holidays from February 18 to 25, 2019;
• 02.26.2019-04.5.2019 - a module dedicated to mastering new knowledge, after which students will have a spring break from April 8 to April 14, 2019;
• 04/15/2019-24(05/31/2019) – the last push before finishing the next academic year and going on summer vacation with peace of mind.

The vacation schedule at schools, universities and secondary vocational education institutions in Moscow is approved individually for each educational institution by its director, rector or other decision-maker. In practice, the vacation schedule rarely differs from the recommendations of a higher authority.

Russian schools live according to two academic “calendars”: quarters and trimesters. Depending on this, and also based on the recommendations of the Ministry of Education, educational institutions themselves determine the dates of the holidays. In general, it is beneficial for the school to adhere to the generally established framework, since general holidays mean greater opportunities for organizing quality children's leisure time: performances, excursions, concerts, etc.

Holidays in schools with a quarterly education system

Those who study in quarters have holidays four times a year - autumn, winter, spring and summer.

Of these, the dates of the autumn holidays at the end of October and the beginning of November are less stable: their end date depends on National Unity Day, which is celebrated on November 4. For example, the autumn holidays of 2018 will not last traditionally from Monday to Sunday, but will last a day longer due to the postponement of the day off. That is from October 27 to November 5.

New Year holidays 2018–2019 academic year

New Year holidays, as a rule, begin in the last week of December and end on the 10th of January. Schoolchildren go to school on Monday. Winter holidays in the 2018/2019 academic year will continue from December 30 to January 8. First-graders will have additional holidays in winter* – from 16 to 25 February.

Spring break 2019 school year

The situation with holidays in spring is much simpler - the dates do not depend in any way on holidays. Spring break falls in the last week of March and the first week of April. In 2019, schoolchildren will have a rest from March 23 to March 31.

Summer holidays 2019 academic year

Summer holidays will begin as usual - on the last Monday of May. In 2019 it falls on the 27th. Thus, from May 27 to September 1 Schoolchildren are waiting for three whole happy months free from lessons.

* For students of first grades and classes of correctional and developmental education.

In addition to scheduled holidays, school classes may be canceled for the following reasons:

But the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, as well as deputy chairman TO State Duma Committee on Education Alena Arshinova,

Politicians have their own reasons for such proposals. Some seem to advocate for the development of tourism, others for children's recreation. Such discussions are a unique way to check whether teachers, parents, and children are ready for a change in the start date of the school year. It is worth noting that First Deputy Minister of Education and Science Natalya Tretyakthe question of changing the start date of the school year, as well as in general for Russian families who have become accustomed over many years to the fact that the countdown of the school year begins on the first of September.

By the way, Knowledge Day officially appeared in the state calendar only in 1984. However, the first of September has remained a special day for many years.

A little history

In Rus', in many schools, classes began on the first autumn day, since the Byzantine calendar was introduced in the country in 1492: according to it, the new year began on September 1. On December 20, 1699, Peter the Great issued decree No. 1736 “On the celebration of the New Year.” So after 10 days the country celebrated the new year 1700 on January 1st. True, the start of school was left at the same date, so as not to interrupt the educational process with a long break and not to postpone the long summer holidays into the winter. The church played not the least role in this matter. Most schools in those days were affiliated with churches, which were in no hurry to change the usual calendar.

In Russia there has never been a single start date for the school year: classes in educational institutions began at different times. In villages, for example, they could start studying only in late autumn, after the end of agricultural work, and city high school students sat down at their desks in mid-August. Only in 1935 did the Council of People's Commissars adopt a resolution on a single start date for studies in all schools. The first day of school was September 1st. At the same time, the length of the school year was established and fixed holidays were introduced.

In 1980, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Knowledge Day was established. So the First of September legally appeared on the calendar and became an official holiday. However, for several years this day continued to be a training day. It was first celebrated in the new format only in 1984.

Other format

The discussion about revising the start of the school year unfolded in the final month of summer and, alas, brings nothing but negative emotions and a lack of a sense of stability to teachers, students and parents during the economic crisis.

Meanwhile, speaking about a more flexible schedule of the school year, one can be guided not only by changes in the formal dates of holidays, but also by the capabilities of the schools themselves, which, as practice shows, are sufficient. So, at the end of the school year at the Petrovskaya school in Petrozavodsk for city teachers.

During the round table, Tatyana Valerievna Rogozina, associate professor of the Department of Management of the Leningrad Regional Institute for Educational Development, head, shared her methodological developments with her colleagues. scientific and analytical department of the St. Petersburg gymnasium “Alma Mater”, initiator of a number of network projects in the field of advanced training of teaching staff and the formation of a professional teaching community.

Tatyana Valerievna spoke about one of the new approaches to planning the school year for schoolchildren - a dynamic schedule. Its essence is that for a week children study according to the usual class-lesson system, and the next week is devoted to project and research activities, which can take place in school laboratories, outside the school walls and not limited to lessons and bells.

Tatyana Rogozina also spoke about the St. Petersburg gymnasium "Kvantor", where it is customary not only to sum up the results of the year, but also already in the first days of September to plan the school year together with students, parents and teachers:

Nobody forbids us to devote the first week of September or the end of August to such planning. This is more effective and correct, because when discussing educational prospects we must also focus on the child’s needs. Adults should not decide for children how and what they will teach them.- This a harmful practice that has taken root in schools since Soviet times.

It turns out that it is quite possible to devote the last weeks of August or the first days of September to planning the school year, in which the children themselves will take part. This will be a different, higher quality and stable approach not only to education, but also to the child’s personality.

Academic year in other countries

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Knowledge Day remained an official holiday in a number of states that left the USSR. It's still celebrated in Belarus, Armenia, Ukraine, Moldova, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. Children in these countries continue to begin the school year on the first day of autumn, following the usual traditions of the Soviet holiday.

In most European countries, the school year begins on September 1 or the first Monday in September. These are countries like France, Ireland, Belgium, Poland, Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Hungary, Slovenia.

In Slovakia at The school year begins a day later, on September 2, because September 1 is a national holiday (Constitution Day).

In the United Kingdom welcome students in the first week of September, except Scotland, where the school year begins at the end of August.

In Austria, Vienna and Lower Austria The school year begins on the first Monday of September, and in other regions of the state a week later.

Schoolchildren Japan leave for their desks on April 1st. It is on this day that sakura begins to bloom - a symbol of the beginning of a new life, beauty and youth for the inhabitants of the country. A great mood and the beauty of flowering trees are the best companions for fruitful study! Children go to school from the age of 6, and the school year consists of three terms and ends on March 31 of the following year. Schoolchildren are entitled to short holidays in winter, spring and for a month in summer.

In Spain The first day of school is a floating date, and it occurs at different times in different provinces of the country. In general, according to the law, all students must begin their studies no later than October 1. Confusion surrounding the harvest To which, for a number of reasons, may end at different times. The academic year consists of three trimesters and ends in mid-June. Schoolchildren in Spain relax during the summer holidays (from the 20th of June), during two weeks for Christmas and one week in honor of Easter.

In each of the 16 federal states Germany have established their own rules regarding the start of the school year.As a rule, children go to school in mid-August or early September.In the first school year, German schoolchildren come to first grade with a “first-grader bag”in which parents put gifts for the student. There may be sweets, stationery, books, gadgets. IN XIX century, when this tradition first appeared, a child could put, for example, shoes in such a bag. By the way, they glue the bag the children themselves, and the parents fill it. Summer holidays are lasting six weeks, and throughout the year schoolchildren rest on Christmas, winter holidays, on Easter and Trinity.

In the USA There is also no exact start date for the school year. It can begin on any day in August or in early September. This issue is decided at the level of each state independently of the others. The school year ends at the end of June. Children start school at different ages - 5-8 years old, according to the education law of the state in which they live. The academic year is divided into three trimesters, between which students have short holidays, and summer holidays begin at the end of June.

In the spring, in April, the school year begins and India. Only men teach in Indian schools. Mathematics is considered the most revered subject. Each school has its own special uniform, which the children wear all the time, so that the child can immediately see which school he comes from. Big holidays in India are announced in the hottest months - May and June. Classes resume in early July, when the heat becomes a little less brutal.

In Mexico Lessons begin on the penultimate Monday of August.

In South Korea classes begin even earlier, on March 2, and also summer holidays last from mid-July to the end of August.

In Malaysia and Singapore, which are located in a tropical zone, the school doors open to students on January 3rd or the first Monday of January.

In Thailand The school year begins in mid-May, while in the Philippines classes begin in the first week of June.

In contrast to this in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan the school year begins at the end of August, while in Cambodia- on the first Monday in October.

In countries In the southern hemisphere, as one would expect, the school year begins in the period when it is autumn for them and spring for us. In Brazil this is the first week of February, and in its northern provinces, located in the tropical zone, the school year begins in September.

Schools begin on the first Tuesday of February. New Zealand, and in Australia schoolchildren, not afraid of the summer heat, return to school at the end of January or V early February depending on the state.

Around mid-January the school year begins in South Africa.

Our information

Nonlinear dynamic schedule - this is a schedule that includes various forms of organizing classes, extracurricular activities, walks, and also actively takes includes the space of the city (excursions, hikes, participation in competitions, etc.).

Knowledge Day on September 1 in 2018 falls on a Saturday, so for many schoolchildren in Russia and post-Soviet countries the new school year starts on Monday, September 3.

In a number of countries, such as Georgia, schoolchildren go to school later - in the second half of September.

According to tradition, on Knowledge Day, ceremonial assemblies are held in all schools. For first-graders, the symbolic and solemn first bell rings - a symbol of the beginning of a new life - the life of a schoolchild.

History of the holiday

According to many sources, the history of this holiday began in Nicaea in 325, when the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, who designated Christianity as the main religion, convened the first Ecumenical Council. One of the important decisions of this council was that the date September 1st was considered the beginning of the new year from that moment on.

The church and state holiday of the New Year began to be celebrated in Rus' only on September 1, 1492. Well, since all the schools of that time were created at the church, education in them logically began with the church new year.

© AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel

Schoolchildren at Knowledge Day in Moscow

Even when, in 1700, by decision of Peter the Great, the new year officially began to be calculated from January, the start date of school formally remained the same, but could vary from the end of August to mid-September.

Until the mid-30s of the 20th century, there was no exact date for the start of the school year in the USSR. According to the resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of August 14, 1930, "all children aged 8-10 years were to be admitted to school in the fall."

The Soviet government established a single start date for the school year in 1935 by a corresponding decree. According to this document, the start date of the new school year for all children was set for September 1. The resolution also introduced specific end dates for the school year for students in different grades.

The holiday itself appeared only 50 years later. The origins of Knowledge Day were the famous Soviet teacher Fyodor Bryukhovetsky, thanks to whom schoolchildren learned not only this holiday, but also many other school traditions, including the last bell. September 1 is of particular importance for first-graders, who take an important step on this day. School means a transition from a completely carefree childhood to a period of responsible study and, of course, for their no less worried parents.

Knowledge Day in different countries

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in a number of countries, Knowledge Day remained an official public holiday. It is still, as in Russia, celebrated in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Armenia, Latvia and other countries that were part of the USSR.

The school year traditionally begins on the first of September in Belgium, Ireland, Poland, Slovenia, Hungary and Macedonia.

In Israel, school starts usually on the first of September, although sometimes the start date of the school year is postponed, for example, if the first day of autumn falls on a Saturday or on national holidays.

In Spain, the first day of school is a “floating” date, and in different provinces of the country it occurs at different times. In general, according to the law, all students must begin their studies no later than October 1.

In the United States there is also no exact start date for the school year. It can begin on any day in August or in early September. This issue is decided at the level of each state independently of the others.

The one who really distinguished himself was Australia. Here, the school year begins after the celebration of Australia Day, the country's main national holiday, which is celebrated annually on January 26. However, if January 27 falls in the second half of the week, then schools shift the start of classes to the nearest Monday.

New Zealanders also turned out to be close in spirit to Australia. For local children, school classes begin on January 27, although sometimes in private schools, at the request of parents, the start of the school year can be moved to the first days of February.

The vast majority of Asian countries start school on the first of September, such as China, Hong Kong, Laos, Taiwan and Mongolia, while in Myanmar schools start on the second Wednesday of September. However, in many Asian countries the beginning of the school year occurs in the spring.

In particular, in Japan, educational institutions begin work on the first of April, in Thailand - in May, after the celebration of the Thai New Year (its date is determined individually each time, but usually it falls in mid-April), and in the Philippines, schoolchildren go for knowledge in the first dates of June.

Each of Germany's 16 federal states has its own rules regarding the start of the school year. Approximately, children begin their studies in August-September.

In some countries that were previously part of the USSR, after its collapse, Knowledge Day ceased to exist as a holiday. Some people replaced this holiday with other celebrations, while others canceled it altogether.

The material was prepared on the basis of open sources.