In 2025, the Department of Education decided on the dates for school holidays, including the October holidays in public schools. Parents, learners, and educators would do well to consider these dates when planning travel itineraries, extracurriculars, or simply times of relaxation away from formal learning activities. Hence some information relating to the October holidays and the relevant dates, for reference.
A General Overview of the 2025 School Calendar
- The Department of Education has designed the public school year to run in four terms throughout 2025. Term 3 ends in early October, after which learners take a short break, immediately followed by Term 4.
- Term 4 officially commenced on 13 October 2025. However, these dates are meant for all government schools located across the country, and at times, private and international schools have their own schedule.
- Term 3 Break: October Holiday DatesTerm 3 officially finishes for the various public schools on the 3rd of October, 2025.
- The school holidays (sometimes referred to as Spring break) run from the 4th to the 12th of October, 2025.
- The students, therefore, have somewhat less than a week for themselves before the beginning of Term 4.
- Term 4 Starts Mid-October: Term 4 first started on the 13 October 2025 for every single part of the country after a short break.
- This term runs until 10 December 2025, which indeed is the closing of all schools for the year. Traditionally, during any school term ending, most of the time, toward term 4 will have admin days when the final assessments are held; schools might also complete report writing and another administrative work for year-end.
What That Means to the Learners and Parents
- The learners will be on spring break from the 4th to the 12th of October 2025. This time makes for an excellent short trip or backyard study, or a good resting period.
- It will be for the Parents/guardians to arrange for the return of the scholars on the 13th of October, that is, uniforms, back-to-school supplies, transportation, etc.
- Since the Terms run back to back, this break is usually short compared to winter or summer holidays; therefore, it is recommended to keep realistic timely arrangements.
Private School Calendar Versus Public School Calendar
While the public schools observe the DBE calendar, private schools as well as international schools may take minor deviations concerning term breaks-whether it is a week earlier or a week later. Also, these schools may join associations, like ISASA, that maintain calendars of their own. Therefore, parents with children in such schools might want to check with this particular school if these dates in the national calendar apply in precisely.
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