School calendar: When does the first term in 2024 start?

Pupils in South Africa are nearing the end of the 2023 school year before breaking up for a well deserved Christmas / New Year holiday.

But before they know it, it will be a case of packing those bags and returning to school desks in 2024.

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As reported by The South African website, in a change from previous years, all public schools – both inland and at the coast – will follow the same term calendar in 2024.

There is no longer a difference between inland and coastal schools breaking up and returning to school as was previously the case.

To note: Inland provinces are the Free State, Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West, while the coastal provinces are the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Northern Cape and Western Cape.

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The fourth term in 2023 will end on Wednesday, 13 December.

Many matriculants are already on holiday after completing their final year exams.

The Department of Basic Education’s 2024 school calendar shows that next year will comprise of 203 school days across four terms, which is four more days than was the case in 2023.

The 2024 school year will begin on Wednesday, 17 January.

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DATES FOR THE 2024 PUBLIC SCHOOL TERMS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

• Term 1: 17 January to 20 March (46 days)
• Term 2: 3 April to 14 June (52 days)
• Term 3: 9 July to 20 September (53 days)
• Term 4: 1 October to 11 December (52 days)