The academic calendar for the next three years was unveiled earlier this week with up to seven more school days each year.
A shorter winter break means that pupils will spend almost half of December in class, as opposed to last year's three classroom days in UAE schools.
For the 2026-2027 academic year, August 31 will mark the first day of classes while the last day will be July 2.
The Ministry of Education said this unified academic calendar will “carefully balance instructional time with quality learning” and applies across the Emirates to most schools.
Sharjah public schools, as well as private schools following Indian, Bangladeshi or Pakistani curriculums, will not follow this calendar. Based on previous communications, public and private schools in the country are required to carry out 182 to 188 academic teaching days per academic year. The newly announced calendar puts the number of school days at 189.
Planning ahead
The announcement of the next three years of the academic calendar allows more transparency for families who may want to book travel or plan holidays early. Possible variations to the new calendar are dependent on holiday announcements, such as Eid, which will be made closer to the time.
“My initial thought is it's great that we have advanced notification and we're not just finding out about this in August, which can sometimes happen. So I think that's a positive,” said Fiona Cottam, principal of Hartland International School in Dubai.
“On the other side, I do have some concerns as to how it will map out, and the impacts that it will have on the well-being of both children and staff without intermittent breaks at different times of the year that really cater for their needs.”
Ms Cottam said schools have yet to receive official notification on the full impacts and specifics.
“We just still need to wait for that official notification that comes to schools, because it might be that there is some flexibility in terms of staff professional development and other things that might be actually part of the final calendar when it comes to schools that we're just not aware of yet,” she said.
Dubai resident Shalaka Paradkar, who has one son in Year 11, said she welcomes the clarity that comes with approving the academic calendar three years in advance.
“My son will be juggling board exams, university applications and extracurriculars this year. Knowing term dates well ahead of time makes it easier to plan family time. It's less stress for us parents,” Ms Paradkar said.
The most significant changes to the academic calendar are the break lengths, including the shortening of winter break to three weeks. Some parents last year felt that four weeks for winter break was too long.
In Abu Dhabi, Nelia Relox Smith, parent of Alexandra, 10, and Chloe, eight, who attend International Jubilee Private School, said the change a “positive move”.
“The children already enjoy plenty of time off throughout the year, so a slightly shorter winter break just means more consistency in their learning and better value for the school fees we’re paying,” she said.
“Between weekends, public holidays and summer, they’re certainly not short of downtime. If anything, it might save my sofa from another extended holiday takeover.”
Ms Cottam agrees that four weeks was “too long”.
“This is a more measured and balanced approach, reducing [the break] certainly makes sense both from an academic perspective but also from a needs perspective,” she said.
Priyanka Sharma, a mum of two children, aged 8 and 3, said she believes one week does not make a huge difference, but she appreciates getting clarity on breaks in advance, “so we can plan holidays and camps and other activities for children”, she told The National.
“A very long winter break at times disrupts routines and makes it harder to jump back into study or extra-curricular mode. This may be subjective and depend on the kid’s age, of course.”
Breaking down the calendar
Winter term 2026/27
This year's winter term is 15 weeks long, the same as last year, however it has moved back a week. The half-term break comes just six weeks after the start of the academic year, and is still a week long. In December, there will be eight teaching days rather than three like last year. Winter break has been shortened from four weeks down to just three.
Many restrictions have been placed in recent months to discourage parents from taking their pupils out of school early for travel and holidays. To combat this, pupils will take final exams or complete requirements during the last week of each term. This is potentially the rationale behind adding one week after Eid Al Etihad, so parents do not see it as an opportunity to take pupils out of school for the entire month of December.
Spring term 2026/27
A notable change is that there is no half term in February in the new academic calendar. However, local education authorities may allow private schools to split the break between October and February. A two-week long holiday combining spring break and Eid Al Fitr on last year's academic calendar is no more, but days off will be more spread out. Eid Al Fitr falls in March, while spring break will take place over one week in April.
Summer term 2026/27
The Eid Al Adha holiday comes a week earlier, giving students a break about halfway through the summer term.
The holiday dates are subject to change, as they have not been officially announced. But based on the information we have now, we can see two different possibilities for the Eid Al Adha holiday. Eid Al Adha is expected to fall from May 16 to May 18, which will give Monday through Tuesday off.
Eid Al Etihad holidays will fall on a Wednesday and Thursday, with a potential Friday off. Eid Al Fitr dates will probably mean a Monday and Tuesday off of school.
