Wales schools move to 390 sessions from September 2026

Wales is changing the legal way the school year is counted. From the 2026 to 2027 school year, the yearly minimum will move from 380 school sessions to 390, with 12 of those sessions set aside for training, preparation and planning rather than ordinary pupil lessons. (gov.wales) If that sounds dry, stay with us. This is one of those school-law changes that looks technical on paper but matters in real life because it affects teachers’ training days, family planning and the rhythm of the school calendar. (gov.wales)

To understand the change, you first need one key phrase: a school session is half a school day. Welsh rules divide the day into a morning session and an afternoon session, so 2 sessions make 1 full day. Under the older rules, maintained schools had to open for at least 380 sessions, which is 190 days. (gov.wales) That means the new 390-session figure can sound bigger than it really feels. We are not talking about 390 separate days. We are talking about 195 days in total when you count both halves of the day. (gov.wales)

Here is the bit most readers will want straight away: 390 does not mean pupils are suddenly getting five extra days of ordinary lessons. The Welsh Government’s own consultation said 378 of the 390 sessions would be teaching sessions, while the remaining 12 sessions would be used for INSET, planning and professional learning. (gov.wales) **What this means:** 12 sessions equals 6 full days. So the model behind the new rules is 189 teaching days for learners and 6 INSET days for staff, making 195 working days in the yearly count. Teachers would be available for 195 days in total, but not required to teach on those 6 INSET days. (gov.wales)

The sessions are not meant to be used for just anything. The regulations say they must be used wholly or mainly for training, preparation and planning linked to additional learning needs, the Curriculum for Wales, assessment arrangements, national priorities and each school’s own improvement priorities. That broadly matches the direction Welsh Government set out when it consulted on making six INSET days a standing part of the system. (gov.wales) That matters because it tells you what this time is for. It is supposed to support classroom practice and school improvement, not simply create a convenient day off. The rules also allow training that includes teaching and non-teaching staff, and work done jointly with other schools, which makes room for whole-school and cluster planning. (gov.wales)

This is also not coming out of nowhere. Welsh Government said the extra INSET day began in 2019 to help schools prepare for Curriculum for Wales, was carried through later years, and the 2025 regulations continued six INSET days for the 2025 to 2026 school year. Hwb guidance likewise says Wales has already been operating with 6 INSET days, rather than 5, in recent years. (gov.wales) So, for many schools, the 2026 change may feel less like a brand-new experiment and more like the law finally catching up with an arrangement that had already become familiar. That is an inference, but it fits the Welsh Government’s own timeline. (gov.wales)

In the consultation leading up to the change, Welsh Government also made a case for using INSET days more thoughtfully. It said schools should try not to bunch too many together, should co-ordinate dates across clusters or local authorities where possible, and should tell parents and carers early in the year what the days are for. (gov.wales) That part matters just as much as the legal numbers. For families, an INSET day is never only an administrative detail; it can mean childcare changes, transport changes and a different routine for siblings at different schools. The consultation openly recognised that pressure. (gov.wales)

So when you hear that Wales is moving from 380 to 390 sessions, the fairest reading is this: schools are being given a clearer legal frame for six days of staff learning and planning inside the annual count, rather than simply being told to add more classroom time. (gov.wales) For you, the practical question is likely to be simple. Not ‘Will there be more school?’ but ‘How will my school use those six days, and when will they fall?’ That is where this technical-looking regulation turns into something parents, pupils and staff will actually feel.