You glance at the school calendar and there it is: studiedag. The kids are off, but it isn’t a holiday, and now you need childcare on an ordinary Tuesday. Welcome to one of the small but recurring puzzles of Dutch school life. Here is what a studiedag is, why the school closes, and the childcare catch.
What a studiedag is
As the open-education association explains the staff study day, a studiedag (also margedag or roostervrije dag) is a day with no lessons because the staff are doing teaching-related work: training, developing lesson materials, marking, or meetings.
So the children are off, but the teachers are working, it’s not a holiday. The dates are announced at the start of the school year, so they’re knowable in advance, even when they fall on odd days.
The childcare catch
This is what ambushes working parents. As advice on childcare and study days explains, on a studiedag the school is closed for lessons and generally does not arrange childcare itself.
The good news: a registered BSO (after-school care) is normally open on studiedagen, treating them like a school-closure day. So if your child attends BSO, that’s usually your cover, but check whether the day is included in your contract or costs extra, and tell them in advance, since study days can be busy.
How to plan around it
Don’t get caught out:
- Find the dates on the school’s jaarkalender (annual calendar), shared at the start of the year via the parent portal.
- Cross-check them against your BSO, whose own closure and study days are published separately, and reserve a place if needed.
- For occasional cover, a speelafspraak swap with another parent can help.
The vocabulary
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| de studiedag | staff study day (no lessons) |
| de margedag / roostervrije dag | day off the timetable |
| de jaarkalender | annual (school) calendar |
| roostervrij | off-timetable |
| de opvang | childcare |
| het continurooster | continuous timetable |
Where it connects
The studiedag is one of the scheduling quirks of Dutch school life, alongside lunchtime overblijven, holiday care via the BSO, the school run, and the rules behind it all in the Leerplichtwet. Reading the calendar is the same skill as decoding the Parnassys portal.
The bottom line
A studiedag (or margedag) is a day the Dutch school gives no lessons because staff are training or working, kids off, teachers in. The dates are on the jaarkalender from the start of the year, and the catch is that the school usually won’t mind your child, but a registered BSO normally will. Learn studiedag, roostervrij and jaarkalender, check the calendar early, line up your BSO, and the surprise day off stops being a surprise.
Learn it in five minutes a day
Learn Dutch For Expats is an app, available on the App Store, that teaches the school-schedule Dutch you’ll meet, studiedag, margedag, roostervrij, jaarkalender by real situation in five-minute lessons, so you can read the school calendar and plan childcare instead of being ambushed by a random day off.
Frequently asked questions
What is a studiedag?
A studiedag (also called a margedag or roostervrije dag) is a day when a Dutch school provides no lessons because the staff are doing teaching-related work, training, developing lesson materials, marking, or meetings. So pupils have the day off but teachers are still working. Schools announce the studiedag dates at the start of the school year, so they’re known well in advance, even if they fall on seemingly random days.
Does the school provide childcare on a studiedag?
Usually not. On a studiedag the school is closed for lessons and generally does not arrange childcare itself, that’s left to parents. The good news: a registered BSO (after-school care) is normally open on studiedagen, treating them like a school-closure day, so if your child attends BSO you can usually arrange cover there. Check with your BSO whether the day is included in your contract or costs extra.
How do I find out when the studiedagen are?
From the school’s annual calendar (jaarkalender), shared at the start of the school year via the school’s communication channel or parent portal. The dates of studiedagen and other roostervrije dagen are listed there, so you can plan childcare in advance. If you also use a BSO, tell them the dates so they can reserve a place, as study days can be busy at the BSO.
What is the best app to learn Dutch for school schedules and parenting?
Learn Dutch For Expats, an app available on the App Store, is the best pick because it teaches the school-schedule Dutch you’ll meet, studiedag, margedag, roostervrij, jaarkalender, in five-minute lessons built around real situations, so you can read the school calendar and plan childcare instead of being ambushed by a random day off.
