Why do Brussels schools still follow two different holiday calendars?
French-speaking schools in Brussels reopened on 24 August 2026, eight days before Dutch-speaking schools begin on 1 September, again leaving families, teachers and activity organisers to navigate two calendars in one city.
The split directly affects childcare, travel, camps, family time and staffing in a multilingual city where siblings, partners and colleagues may belong to different education systems. Newcomers can easily assume that all schools in the same commune follow one calendar.
French-speaking schools in reopened on Monday 24 August 2026, while pupils in Dutch-speaking schools return on Tuesday 1 September. The practical takeaway for families is simple but important: check the calendar of each child’s education community, not merely the school’s Brussels address, before booking childcare, camps or travel. The links to both official calendars, while schools and communes or gemeenten publish their own closure days and activity schedules.
The staggered start is especially visible in because the city contains large Dutch- and French-speaking school networks within the same 19 communes. spoke to three Brussels teachers returning under different timetables and policy regimes. Two said they preferred the French-speaking rhythm, which generally places longer two-week breaks between teaching periods and shortens the summer holiday. Their views illustrate a recurring frustration: colleagues, siblings and mixed-language households can live minutes apart yet remain out of step for substantial parts of the year.
## Why are the calendars different?
Education is principally a Community responsibility in Belgium. The governs recognised Dutch-language education, including schools in , while the , commonly styled the , governs recognised French-language education. The Brussels Region and an individual commune or gemeente cannot simply impose one calendar on both systems.
The introduced its redesigned annual calendar in the 2022-23 school year. Its model aims, subject to occasional adjustments, to alternate roughly seven weeks of teaching with two weeks of rest. That produced a shorter summer break and longer autumn and carnival breaks. The Flemish system retained a school year beginning on 1 September, with one-week autumn and carnival holidays and two-week Christmas and Easter breaks. Official dates for Dutch-language schools appear on ; French-language families should use the calendar. The regional portal provides links to both.
This is not merely a translation issue. A school described as gemeentelijk is organised by a Dutch-language municipal authority and follows Flemish rules; an école communale belongs to the French-language system and follows the calendar. Families should also distinguish these schools from European and private international schools, which may set separate calendars. When in doubt, ask the secretariat which Community recognises the school and request its complete calendrier scolaire or schoolkalender, including pedagogical days.
## Where the mismatch bites
For households with children in both language systems, the difference can mean arranging care for one child while another is in class. It can also affect parents who teach in one system while their children attend the other. Sports clubs, cultural centres and holiday-camp providers must decide which audience to follow; a programme advertised as running during the krokusvakantie may not coincide with the French congé de détente.
reported in 2023 that leaders of GO! education in and the Catholic Sint-Goedele school group supported moving Dutch-language Brussels schools towards the French-speaking rhythm. They argued that a common Brussels timetable would ease pressure on families. The same reporting identified the trade-off: separating Dutch-language schools in Brussels from the rest of would create another mismatch for teachers and families moving across the regional boundary.
The debate has therefore produced support for alignment without agreement on who should move. A 2025 survey commissioned by , De Standaard and RTBF found that 45% of Flemish respondents supported a shorter summer holiday with longer breaks during the year, while just over a quarter opposed it. That showed considerable interest but not a majority mandate. The Flemish coalition agreement retained the existing calendar, according to VRT NWS, making an imminent system-wide change unlikely.
## A return shaped by more than dates
Teachers are also beginning 2026-27 amid reforms specific to their own education systems. reported that French-speaking unions fear budget measures could affect the work of 6,000 to 7,000 teachers, although Education Minister Valérie Glatigny says there will be no overall job loss at macro level. The outlet reported that a union notice covers possible action until 27 September and that further protests are expected, but the scale of any disruption remains unknown.
Dutch-language schools face a different package. reported concerns about reorganised class councils, the removal of pedagogical study days in secondary education and three additional hours of Dutch for some pupils entering secondary school with insufficient proficiency. The minister’s office had not yet confirmed how many pupils would fall within that last measure. Brussels Dutch-language schools are also receiving about €5.7 million for the taalheldenplan, according to BRUZZ, including support intended for pupils who need more Dutch.
Language support carries particular weight in multilingual . One teacher at the Paviljoen municipal school in Schaerbeek told that only three or four children in some classes speak Dutch at home. Her school uses playground activities and a pre-term language immersion programme to help younger pupils resume speaking Dutch after summer. Such measures address learning continuity, but they do not resolve the calendar conflict surrounding childcare and family life.
For parents planning the year, the safest routine is to download both Community calendars where necessary, add each school’s own pedagogical and optional closure days, and verify holiday activities directly with the organiser. Dutch-language options may be listed through organisations such as the Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie, while French-language activities may appear through Bruxelles Temps Libre or the relevant commune. Search in both languages—speelplein or stage de vacances—because many providers serve only one network even when operating in the same neighbourhood.
The two calendars will remain in force for 2026-27. Any lasting alignment would require political decisions by the competent Communities, and a -only solution would have to balance easier city life against maintaining links with schools across . Until that happens, the annual sight of Brussels teachers returning to school on different dates is not an administrative accident. It is a daily expression of Belgium’s federal education structure.
Impact
Regional — The consequences are concentrated in Brussels, where both language systems operate throughout the same compact urban area. A Brussels-only alignment could reduce local friction but would disconnect Dutch-language schools from the calendar used across Flanders.
Local — The impact is especially visible in Brussels, where both education systems serve families within the same compact city. Siblings can attend schools with different reopening dates, while partners and colleagues may have children in different systems. Camps, childcare services and activity organisers must decide which calendar to follow or cover both. A Brussels-only alignment could reduce this friction, but it would separate Dutch-language schools in the capital from the calendar followed by the rest of Flanders.
What it means for you
If your household uses a French-speaking Brussels school, the 2026-27 year began on 24 August 2026; Dutch-speaking schools begin on 1 September. Check the school’s language Community rather than relying on its commune, postcode or another family’s dates. Families spanning both systems should compare the full calendars before booking travel, leave, camps or childcare, because other holidays may also differ. Consult Vlaanderen.be for Dutch-language schools and Enseignement.be for French-language schools; be.brussels links to both official schedules. Employers and activity organisers should confirm which calendar each affected family follows.
Opposing perspectives
- Brussels families and school leaders favouring alignment
Families with children in both language systems and senior Dutch-language education figures in Brussels argue that a common rhythm would simplify childcare, camps and family planning. Some teachers also favour the French model’s shorter summer and longer mid-year rest periods.
- Flemish continuity advocates
Those wary of a Brussels-only change argue that Dutch-language schools in the capital should remain synchronised with Flanders. A separate Brussels calendar could complicate life for teachers commuting from Flanders, families with children on both sides of the regional boundary and Flemish youth organisations.
- French-speaking education unions
The unions’ immediate concern is not calendar alignment but the effect of French Community budget and workload reforms. They warn that staffing and working conditions are under pressure and have maintained the possibility of further action during the opening weeks.
- French Community government
Education Minister Valérie Glatigny’s position, as reported by BRUZZ, is that the reforms will not produce job losses at the overall system level. That conflicts with union estimates of how many teachers could experience reduced hours or other effects.
Who, where and what
Key people, places and terms in this story
City and region where French- and Dutch-language school calendars operate side by side.
Belgian region whose official portal links residents to both Community school calendars.
Region whose Dutch-language schools share the Flemish Community calendar followed in Brussels.
Belgian language Community responsible for Dutch-language education and its school calendar.
Official name used by the French Community for the authority governing French-language education.
Show the full library (13)
City and region where French- and Dutch-language school calendars operate side by side.
Belgian region whose official portal links residents to both Community school calendars.
Region whose Dutch-language schools share the Flemish Community calendar followed in Brussels.
Academic year in which French-speaking Brussels schools opened on 24 August and Dutch-speaking schools on 1 September.
Calendar reform introduced in the 2022-23 school year that reorganised holidays and shortened the summer break.
Belgian language Community responsible for Dutch-language education and its school calendar.
Official name used by the French Community for the authority governing French-language education.
Belgian language Community responsible for French-language education and its redesigned school calendar.
Brussels media outlet reporting on the continuing calendar mismatch in August 2026.
Flemish public news service reporting on calendar reform, alignment proposals and survey findings.
Official Flemish government website publishing school-holiday dates for Dutch-language education.
Official education website publishing calendar information for French-language schools.
Official Brussels-Capital Region portal linking residents to the applicable school schedules.
Sources & evidence
- View sourceBRUZZ — Brusselse leerkrachten terug naar schoolPrimaryprimary· bruzz.be· 24 August 2026Retrieved 27 August 2026· 39 days ago· Dated
- View sourceVRT NWS — Brussels education leaders support changing the holiday systemcorroborating· vrt.be· 26 June 2023Retrieved 27 August 2026· 1194 days ago· Dated
- View sourceVRT NWS — Why French-speaking education shortened the summer holidayhistorical· vrt.be· 27 August 2022Retrieved 27 August 2026· 1497 days ago· Background / context
- View sourceVlaanderen.be — School holidaysofficial· vlaanderen.beRetrieved 27 August 2026
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This briefing was prepared with AI assistance and reviewed by a Belgium Impulse editor before publication. methodology.