Parents want 3 or 4 free days per school year.

Parents want 3 or 4 free days per school year.

According to parents, there is little wrong with how the school holidays and days off are arranged in the Netherlands. Yet many parents also want to handle days off more flexibly. Three or four flexible days per year would already be enough. This comes from research by Ouders & Onderwijs among parents in the Landelijk Ouderpanel.

More than two thirds of parents are happy with the school holidays. They are satisfied with how the holiday weeks are spread over the year. The total number of holiday weeks also gets support from parents. In general, parents are satisfied. But parents also see points to improve.

Current rules are not flexible enough

The holidays, study days, and days off are fixed from the start of the school year. Parents cannot just change these days for a holiday or trip with their child. Permission is also needed for a wedding or funeral. More than a quarter of parents think it should be easier to change the rules. This is understandable, because 35% of parents now find too few options for holidays and trips. On top of that, 24% of parents say it is hard to combine school holidays with their work.

Large need for flexible days

It is not surprising that many parents want more flexibility. The need to have a day off from school sometimes is big. No less than 78% of parents would like a few flexible days per year to use freely. It does not need to be many. With 3 or 4 flexible days per school year, most parents would be happy. Also, this would stop parents from trying other ways out. 15% of parents have ever reported their child sick to avoid trouble with the school.

Holidays are more difficult for parents with another cultural background

The rules about holidays and days off cause more problems for parents with a non-Dutch cultural background. They experience less flexibility for holidays and trips and for time off for special moments. They more often ask for leave on a religious day. This is probably because these days differ from the general public holidays in the Netherlands. Yet they get permission less often. They are also more often unhappy about the options to change the fixed holiday dates. And they judge the needed permission more negatively.

About the research and the Landelijk Ouderpanel

2529 parents took part in the research. The results represent gender, education level, and cultural background. All results are in the report. Do you want to join the discussion about your child’s education? You can join our online panel: the Landelijk Ouderpanel. As a member, you get an invitation about once a month for an online survey. With the results, we lobby for a better position for parents. Interested? Sign up now or read more about the Landelijk Ouderpanel.