Back to pre-COVID calendar when new school year begins

Students will begin the 2025-2026 academic year a week earlier in September, as the education ministry restores the traditional school calendar to its pre-pandemic timetable, returning to a full 38 weeks of instruction, Minister of Educational Transformation Senator Chad Blackman has told Barbados TODAY.

He confirmed the term dates following what he described as “engaging and rich dialogue” with the country’s four major teaching unions: the Barbados Union of Teachers, the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union, the Association of Principals of Public Secondary Schools, and the Barbados Association of Principals of Public Secondary Schools.

“You’d recall that historically, and by virtue of the legislation, the academic year in Barbados runs between September 1 and August 31 of each year,” Senator Blackman said. “This is outlined in Education Regulation 32, which applies to public educational institutions and assisted private schools.”

He explained that the school year will officially commence with a planning week from September 1, 2025, while students will return to classrooms on September 8. The shift represents a return to pre-COVID norms, which saw schools beginning earlier in the month, before adjustments were made to accommodate delays in Caribbean Examinations Council results during the pandemic years.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, the academic calendar was shifted to maximise the available time for both instruction and examinations,” Blackman noted. “But the ministry’s intention is to now restore the commencement of the instructional period to its former arrangement.”

The proposed calendar includes three terms, all carefully structured to meet the legislated 38 weeks of instruction, while preserving the customary recess periods.

Term one, Michaelmas, will span 14 weeks, beginning with the planning week on September 1 and ending on December 12. Students will benefit from a two-day midterm break on October 23 and 24, as well as a teachers’ professional day on October 17. The Christmas holiday will run from December 15 to January 2.

The Hilary term runs from January 5 to April 2 2026, featuring a midterm break on February 19 and 20. The two-week Easter recess follows from April 6 to 17.

Trinity term begins on April 20 for teachers and April 21 for students. This final term includes a Teachers’ Professional Day on May 21 and a midterm break on May 22. Students will break for the summer on July 2, with teachers concluding their duties on July 3. The eight-week summer holiday will run from July 6 to August 31, 2026.

Senator Blackman gave an assurance to educators that the updated calendar would not place any teacher or principal at a disadvantage.

“The country can therefore rest assured that from the discussions held with the unions, the proposed new start date for the coming academic year will not disadvantage teachers, nor will it reduce the time allotted for recess periods,” he said.

Each term provides for midterm breaks and teachers’ professional days, striking a balance between instructional time and much-needed respite for educators, he said.

“Finally, the restoration of the start of the academic year early in September will provide the opportunity for students and teachers to have a full instructional period of 38 weeks, as required by law,” the minister added. (SZB)