Maltese students might want to make the most of those final September beach days, because they’re among the last in Europe to head back to the classroom.A graphic comparing the start of the school year across the European Union puts Malta right at the bottom of the list, with schools starting on 30th September.That’s dramatically later than several other European countries.Students in Finland are among the first back, with the school year beginning between 6th and 13th August, while Germany starts between 7th August and 14th September depending on the region.Denmark follows between 10th and 13th August, Sweden between 17th and 19th August, and the Netherlands between 17th and 31st August.By 1st September, students in countries including France, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Czechia and Estonia are already heading back to their desks.Southern European countries generally start somewhat later. Croatia and Romania begin on 7th September, Spain between 7th and 15th September, Italy between 7th and 21st September, Greece on 11th September and Portugal between 11th and 21st September.But Malta still stands out.According to the graphic, Bulgarian students return on 15th September and Luxembourg’s between 15th and 17th September, meaning Malta’s 30th September date comes almost two weeks after even some of Europe’s later starters.Of course, the date children return to school doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story. Countries have different holiday calendars, term structures and regional variations throughout the academic year.Still, when it comes to squeezing every last day out of the summer holidays, Malta appears to have the rest of the EU beaten.Do you think Maltese schools should start earlier, or is the long summer break something worth keeping?•