Good Friday
This coming Friday (29 March 2024) is Good Friday. The Dutch government has determined on which official public holidays all schools in the Netherlands must be closed. Good Friday is not one of those public holidays. This means that schools can decide for themselves whether pupils and staff are off on Good Friday.
This year, Haarlem College has chosen not to schedule a day off for Good Friday. In practice, this means that students are expected to attend school and follow a regular timetable.
Teaching time and timetable-free days
Secondary education must meet the annual school day requirement. This means a minimum of 189 days of education must be offered each year. In addition to holidays and official public holidays, secondary schools receive 12 roster-free days that can be allocated as they see fit. For example, Haarlem College uses some of these days off to offer a second week of May holidays. This school year, it was decided not to use these roster-free days for Good Friday, as they were needed elsewhere in the schedule.
Government Information Service
Would you like more information on teaching time and recognized public holidays? Please take a look at the government's website.
