Easter holiday is usually within the holidays, and can catch us out when it happens within the term

Easter Holiday dates for 2021

Good Friday: 2 April

Easter Monday: 5 April

Easter Tuesday: 6 April

Having been a teacher since before Tomorrows Schools began in 1989, and also teaching in a school year that had just three long terms, I was accustomed to having the 5 day Easter holiday in Term 1, which was sometimes up to 15 weeks long.

Easter was the time when schools went from Summer to Winter uniforms too.

I thought I would share with you how Easter Tuesday school holiday sort of sneaks up on us in terms that Easter falls within the term.

History of the Easter School Holiday break

The Tuesday after Easter Monday was a school holiday, but not a statutory holiday, meaning that schools had to be shut while everyone else went back to work.

According to the Ministry of Education, we usually don't notice the Easter Tuesday holiday.

That's because since the introduction of four term school years in 1996, the terms and holidays have been set so that Easter takes place during the first term break.

But in some years Easter falls earlier than usual, such as in 1997, 2005, 2008, 2013, 2016, 2018 and this year.

In years where Easter falls earlier, having the first two-week break then would shorten the school term to about 8 - 9 weeks instead of the usual 12. This would have a flow-on effect, meaning the other three terms would have to be longer.

Since the Ministry of Education tries to set terms of reasonably uniform length, when Easter happens early all or some of the Easter break takes place during the first term.

The rule to close schools on Easter Tuesday was first introduced in 1954.

It's unclear why exactly it was introduced, but the holiday has remained in place and is part of the Education Act legislation.

"Given the long standing requirement for schools to close on Easter Tuesday it is no longer known why it was introduced," a Ministry of Education spokesperson said.

In 2019 and 2020 the Easter break and Easter Tuesday fell within the first term school break, so the school holiday wasn't noticed.

Easter is different to events with a uniform date such as Christmas, Valentine's Day or Anzac Day. It can fall anytime between March 22 and April 25.

Easter is supposed to fall on the first Sunday after the paschal full moon, according to the Merriam Webster dictionary.The Ministry of Education website said since the four-term school year was introduced in 1996, terms and holidays had been set so that Easter mostly occurred during the first term break and the Easter Tuesday school holiday went unnoticed.

However, in some years - 1997, 2005, 2008, 2013, 2016, 2018 and this year 2021 - Easter fell earlier than normal.

sKids are holding a special day for those who require supervision in a great programme for their tamariki.