Last day of school before the Christmas holidays: SH is the first federal state to start!

Last day of school before the Christmas holidays: SH is the first federal state to start!

December 18, 2024, i.e. today, is the last day of school before the Christmas holidays in Schleswig-Holstein. This is a rare occasion as this day falls on December 18th for only the second time. The reason for this lies in the country's holiday regulations and the special distribution of holidays. As the Schleswig-Holstein Ministry of Education explains, the holiday period starts early this year in the north, which means that students in this country are the first to start their Christmas holiday, while other federal states, such as Hamburg, do not go on holiday until Friday.

However, the situation is different for the approximately 5,500 students at Danish schools in the state: their Christmas holidays do not begin until December 23rd. This results from the additional subject “Danish”, which ensures more teaching hours, which is why these students have shorter holiday periods overall, as a spokesman for the Danish School Association confirmed. The distribution of vacation days is determined by the state government for school years, although the vacation regulations have already been adjusted for various years until 2030/31. The 2024/25 Christmas holidays are scheduled to begin on December 19th and last until January 7th, 2025 Schleswig-Holstein.de reported.

School holiday rules

The school holidays in Germany consist of a total of 75 days of holiday per year, although these are distributed differently depending on the federal state. Schleswig-Holstein has created regulations through the holiday regulations that ensure that examination dates and public holidays are taken into account. It is also possible to adjust the vacation days to ensure optimal distribution throughout the year. Alexander Kraft from the Ministry of Education explained that this could possibly lead to longer holiday periods, depending on how the holidays fall on the calendar. However, Danish schools have to adhere to different holiday regulations when it comes to planning holidays for these students. While the majority of the state is already diving into festive preparations, these students still have a little bit to hold on to before they head off on their well-deserved Christmas vacation.

In summary, it can be seen that the special circumstances for both students and teachers in Schleswig-Holstein play an important role this year when it comes to planning the Christmas holidays with regard to the school situation in the state. More information can be found at NDR.de.