Pupil-Free Days NSW 2026: School Development Days

NSW does publish default pupil-free dates — but your school can still move them

Searching "pupil free days nsw 2026" turns up a lot of noise because the answer has two layers. The NSW Department of Education does publish a statewide default calendar of school development days each year, covering the Eastern Division (most of the state) and the Western Division (far-west NSW, which starts Term 1 later). But the Department's own calendar page carries this caveat: "the department determines these dates but always check with your local school as dates may change." Individual principals can move a development day, so the published default isn't a guarantee for every school.

NSW's 2026 school development days (Eastern Division default)

These are the Department's published default dates for 2026. Confirm against your own school's calendar before relying on them.

Term	School development day(s)
Term 1	Tuesday 27 January to Friday 30 January
Term 2	Monday 20 April and Tuesday 21 April
Term 3	Monday 20 July
Term 4	Monday 12 October

Western Division schools follow the same Term 2–4 dates but run Term 1's development days a week later — Tuesday 3 February to Friday 6 February 2026 — to match their later start of term. For the full 2026 term calendar behind these dates, see NSW school term dates.

What are school development days, and how many does each school get?

School development days (also called staff development days, or SDDs) are days when teachers and school leaders do professional learning, planning and administration while students stay home. Under the NSW Teachers Federation's 2024 award changes, every NSW public school runs 8 school development days a year from 2025, up from 5 previously — 4 at the start of Term 1, 2 at the start of Term 2, and 1 each at the start of Terms 3 and 4, matching the table above. Four of the eight are set aside for classroom-teacher-determined activities such as programming and assessment planning, rather than whole-school training.

Does NSW have statewide pupil-free dates in 2026?

Yes, as a default — but not as a guarantee. The Department's calendar sets the dates every public school is expected to use unless it varies them. Historically, a school that wants a different date consults its school community and notifies its Director, Public Schools NSW, rather than simply following the published calendar. That's why the Department itself tells parents to double-check with their own school rather than treating the statewide list as final.

How NSW parents find their own school's pupil-free dates

Start from the statewide default above, then confirm locally:

• The school newsletter or parent app (Sentral, Skoolbag, Compass) — most NSW public schools confirm the year's development days in the first week of Term 1.
• The school website's calendar or events page, often listed alongside excursion and assembly dates.
• The school office, by phone, if a date isn't published online or looks different from the Department's default.
• Catholic and independent schools set their own pupil-free days entirely outside the public-school award, so confirm directly with the school regardless of sector.

Once you know your child's dates, the 2026 school holidays guide and the NSW calendar help you plan leave or holiday activities around both the development day and the surrounding term break. It's also worth lining these up with NSW public holidays, so a pupil-free day next to a holiday can stretch into a longer break on less leave.

Why NSW's model reads differently from Queensland's

Queensland also publishes a statewide staff professional development calendar — five fixed dates for 2026 (22–23 January, 16–17 April and 4 September), printed on one Department of Education PDF. That document gives schools flexibility in how they use the professional-development hours attached to each date, but it publishes no process for a school to move the date itself. NSW's calendar works differently: the same eight dates apply as a default, but its own school development days guidance describes principals varying a date in consultation with their community, so the published default and your child's actual pupil-free day can genuinely differ.

	NSW	Queensland
Days per year	8 (from 2025)	5 (2026)
Statewide default dates published	Yes — education.nsw.gov.au	Yes — education.qld.gov.au
Can a school move the date?	Yes, with community consultation, historically notifying the Director	No published process to move them

Frequently asked questions

Does NSW have statewide pupil-free dates in 2026?

Yes, as a default. The NSW Department of Education publishes 8 school development days for 2026 — 27–30 January, 20–21 April, 20 July and 12 October for Eastern Division schools — but says to always check with your own school, since individual schools can move the date.

What are school development days in NSW and how many are there?

School development days are pupil-free days used for staff professional learning and planning. NSW public schools run 8 a year: 4 at the start of Term 1, 2 at the start of Term 2, and 1 each at the start of Terms 3 and 4.

How do NSW parents find their own school's pupil-free dates?

Start with the Department's default calendar, then confirm through your school's newsletter, parent app or events calendar. If a date isn't published or looks different from the default, call the school office directly.

Why do NSW pupil-free days differ from Queensland's statewide model?

Both states publish a statewide default calendar — NSW has 8 development days, Queensland has 5 for 2026. Queensland's calendar publishes no process for a school to move its set dates, while NSW's guidance describes a principal varying a date in consultation with their community, which is why the published NSW default doesn't always match a specific school's actual day.

Do Catholic and independent schools in NSW follow the same pupil-free schedule?

No. The 8-day framework applies to NSW public schools under the Teachers Federation award. Catholic and independent schools set their own pupil-free or staff development days separately, so always confirm with the school directly.