What Is a Studiedag in Sweden? What Parents Need to Know
What does studiedag mean in Sweden? Find out why children have no regular classes, whether fritids may stay open and what parents should check in advance.
You check the school calendar and see:
Studiedag.
Your first thought may be:
Great. What is that?
If you did not grow up in Sweden, you are not alone.
A studiedag is basically a staff development or planning day. Students do not have normal lessons, while school staff may use the day for planning, training, evaluation or other professional work.
And yes, for parents, it can create one very practical question:
If school is closed, what happens to my child?
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Is studiedag a school holiday?
Not exactly.
A studiedag is different from holidays such as:
- sportlov
- höstlov
- påsklov
- Christmas break
It is a staff day built into the school year.
Skolverket states that compulsory schools must have at least 178 school days and at least 12 holiday days per school year. On top of those, schools may schedule up to five studiedagar for staff during the year.*1
So studiedag is not simply an extra holiday added randomly.
It is part of how the Swedish school year can be organised.
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Does my child go to school on a studiedag?
Usually, no regular lessons take place for students on that day.
That is why parents need to notice studiedagar when checking the school calendar.
A studiedag may fall:
- in the middle of a normal school week
- close to a holiday
- before or after a weekend
Which can occasionally create a very attractive long weekend.
For the child.
Possibly less attractive for the parent who just discovered it on Sunday evening.
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Is fritids open on a studiedag?
This is the part parents really need to check.
Fritids may still be available even when regular school teaching is not.
But the exact arrangements can depend on the school, municipality and your child's fritids.
So do not automatically assume:
No school = no childcare.
Check:
- whether fritids is open
- whether you need to register attendance in advance
- whether normal opening hours apply
- whether children will stay at their usual fritids
- whether groups are being combined somewhere else
If your child is enrolled in fritids, the school or municipality should be able to tell you the arrangements.
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Is studiedag the same date everywhere in Sweden?
No.
There is no single national studiedag calendar.
The school year is organised by the huvudman — the body responsible for the school, within the national rules.
That means studiedag dates can differ between:
- municipalities
- independent schools
- sometimes individual schools
So your friend's child in another municipality may have school while your child is at home.
And siblings at different schools may even have different calendars.
Always check the calendar for your child's own school.
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What about preschool?
Preschool can also have planning or staff-development days, but these should not automatically be treated as the same thing as a compulsory-school studiedag.
Preschools may use terms such as planeringsdag — planning day.
The arrangements for childcare on those days depend on the preschool and municipality.
If your preschool announces a planning day, check whether:
- the preschool is completely closed
- alternative childcare is available
- you need to apply for alternative care in advance
Do not assume that a school studiedag means your preschool child is also off.
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Why do schools have studiedagar?
Schools need time for work that cannot always happen while normal teaching is running.
That may include:
- planning teaching
- evaluating school work
- professional development
- staff training
- working on school-wide routines
Exactly what happens on a particular studiedag is decided locally.
For parents, though, the most important thing is much simpler:
Put the date in your calendar.
Preferably before 22:00 the night before.
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Studiedag in 30 seconds
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is studiedag? | A staff planning/development day |
| Does my child have normal school? | Usually no |
| Is it the same as sportlov? | No |
| Is fritids open? | It may be — check locally |
| Does every school have the same dates? | No |
| How many can there be? | Up to five staff studiedagar per school year |
| Does preschool follow the same calendar? | Not necessarily |
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The easiest way to avoid surprises
At the beginning of each term, add these to your calendar:
- school start and end dates
- sportlov
- påsklov
- höstlov
- studiedagar
- any school-specific closing days
Because Swedish school calendars contain quite a few dates that children somehow know about long before their parents do.
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Official source
- Skolverket — Undervisningstid, lärotider och schema Rules on school days, holiday days and staff studiedagar.