Schooling hours and holidays in Portugal vary from region to region. State schools will have different hours and holidays to private schools, and international and foreign schools will follow the school calendar of their respective country.
Here is a rough outline of teaching hours in Portuguese primary state schools:
During the 1st cycle of ensino básico, children are made to attend 25 hours of schooling per week. Classes begin at 9.00 am and end at 3.30 pm, and there is a break at morning and at lunch.
Some primary schools operate in shifts. If this is the case, you can choose the shift you would like your children to attend; mornings 8.00 am until 1.00pm, or afternoons from 1.15pm until 6.15 pm.
At the age of ten, school days become longer: Cycles 2 and 3 of primary education share the same timetable as secondary education. School generally tends to start at around 8.45 am and finishes at 16.45. Children are entitled to a lunch break of one hour and two 15 minute breaks in the morning and afternoon.
The school semester usually starts between the 8th and 13th of September.
Christmas holidays last for just under two weeks: around 20th - 31st December. There is a two day break in March to celebrate carnival (around 7th - 9th March) and a ten day Easter break (around 11th - 21st April). Summer holidays start around mid June.