* Religious festivals: Major religious holidays like Christmas, Easter, and Whitsuntide resulted in extended breaks, sometimes lasting several weeks. These were not always consistently observed across all schools.
* Harvest time: In rural areas, children were often needed to help with the harvest, leading to periods of school absence that were essentially forced holidays.
* Illness/Epidemics: Outbreaks of disease (like the plague) could lead to prolonged closures of schools, as a matter of public health.
* Weather: Harsh weather conditions could make travel to school difficult or impossible, resulting in unplanned closures.
Essentially, a Tudor child might have sporadic time off, dependent on these factors, rather than a planned schedule of holidays like we have now. There was no concept of a summer holiday or regular half-term breaks. Their time off was often irregular and unpredictable.