Bowing to pressure from Valencia’s School Council, regional Education Minister, Vicent Marzà, agreed yesterday to extend the academic year by one day.
The change was requested by the CEM, Consejo Escolar Municipal, following its meeting on Wednesday, in order to have four locally-chosen non-school days during the academic year, rather than the usual three. There will be no classes in the city on 7 December 2021, the day which falls between the national holidays of 6 December (Día de la Constitución) and 8 December (Inmaculada Concepción). School children in the city will also enjoy three days of holiday during the week of Fallas: 16, 17, 18 March 2022.
As a result, an extra day of classes will be added to the end of the school year, which will now finish on Wednesday 22 June in Primary, rather than 21 June and on Monday 20 June 2022, in Secondary, Bachillerato and Formación Profesional instead of Friday 17 June. The changes only affect the city of Valencia, as each municipal authority decides where to place their three locally-chosen non-school days and each publishes its own Calendario escolar.
Originally the education department had been against the idea of extending the academic year so as not to clash with the examenes extraordinarias, end of year re-sits for students who have failed subjects. However, a new law which is about to be passed, plans to do away with these end of year exams, so extending the school year won’t pose such a problem.
The Valencia Report 