Queensland public school year to be 41 weeks in 2024

A major change is taking place to this Queensland school year that has principals and experts concerned.

• Revealed: SEQ’s worst-behaved students

Tens of thousands of Queensland public school children will have to sit through an “exhausting” 11-week term four to end a 199-day long 2024 school year.

This year, Queensland kids are required to attend a 41-week school year that experts fear will lead to a rise in behavioural issues and a lack of focus on schooling and are not due to start Christmas holidays until Friday, December 13 – a week longer than in 2023.

A 41-week year is Queensland’s longest school year since 2018 and means public school kids will spend up to five and a half weeks longer at school than their private counterparts.

A Department of Education spokeswoman said a 41-week school year occurred about every 4-6 years due to “natural calendar movement”.

However, the spokeswoman failed to address why the extra week would fall in term four, something teachers and principals are against.

Queensland Association of State School Principals president Pat Murphy said in the years where a 41-week year was required, it was preferred that the longer term be in either term two or three.

This year, Queensland kids are required to attend a 41-week school year that experts fear will lead to a rise in behavioural issues.

Mr Murphy said the extra week could lead to a lack of focus and increased behavioural issues among students as they would be tired in the latter weeks of term four.

“Schools and teachers would have preferred term two or three to have an 11-week term but we do understand that it’s not just school that is impacted, it’s the whole Queensland economy,” Mr Murphy said.

Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria all have differing school holiday dates which will naturally boost tourism numbers as holiday makers travel interstate.

Mr Murphy said the longer fourth term also meant more time that children would be outside at lunch breaks in skyrocketing December heat.

He also confirmed schools often did “activity-based” learning like Christmas or holiday-themed exercises during the last weeks of school as opposed to curriculum learning.

The Queensland Teachers’ Union has previously urged the state government to “consolidate the three student free-days that were spread throughout the year into an extra week over the Easter holidays”.

President Cresta Richardson said that change meant “more consistency in term duration” and would “bring Queensland into line with other states”.

“We will continue to work with the government and the department about what the extra week in term four will look like,” Ms Richardson said.

The department spokeswoman said it would work with schools and provide advice to school leaders to enable greater flexibility in planning for the extra week.

“The setting of term dates is undertaken approximately three years in advance to assist planning for schools, school communities and the broader public,” the spokeswoman said.

She said the school calendars from 2021-2025 had been developed in consultation with several stakeholders in August 2017.

The spokeswoman acknowledged the union’s request for the 2024 school year to be a mandated 40 weeks but said “based at the time and advice and options considered” it decided the 41-week year would continue.

She said a mandated 40-week school year would result in either a progressively earlier start and finish date or an additional week of school holidays on a similar cyclic basis to the current 41 weeks.