Overview
- Several Dubai private schools notified parents on Monday, September 7 that their October half-term has been moved forward to Monday October 12 through Friday October 16 to align with the national calendar.
- The change follows the UAE Ministry of Education's new three-year academic calendar and the Knowledge and Human Development Authority's adoption of those dates for Dubai-regulated private schools.
- For schools using the unified MoE calendar the October break, combined with weekends, creates an effective nine-day pause from October 10 to October 18 and alters family travel and childcare plans.
- Not all schools must follow the MoE dates: schools using Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi curricula or those regulated by other emirates can keep different schedules or seek approval to split mid-term leave between October and February.
- The MoE calendar also shortens the winter break, sets the school year from August 31, 2026 to July 2, 2027, and is intended to run through 2029, so parents should treat each school's updated calendar as the final reference point.