There is no single set of UK school holiday dates. Each council sets term dates for its community and voluntary-controlled schools; academies, free schools, foundation and voluntary-aided schools can set their own; and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland follow patterns of their own. What does hold is the shape of the year. Below: the pattern for 2026/27, the dates we checked on eleven councils’ own websites plus Northern Ireland’s common closure dates, and how to find the dates for your school. If your council isn’t listed, check with your council rather than borrowing a neighbour’s dates: they don’t always match.
The pattern for 2026/27
In England, the school year runs from early September to late July in three terms, each split by a one-week half term, with two weeks off at Christmas and at Easter. All eight English councils we checked have the same February half term (15 to 19 February 2027) and May half term (31 May to 4 June 2027); seven of them share the October half term (26 to 30 October 2026), and Surrey gives two weeks, 19 to 30 October. Easter is where they part: seven start their fortnight on Good Friday, 26 March, while Leeds keeps its Easter break in the first two full weeks of April.
Scotland’s year starts in mid-August and ends in late June, with a mid-October break and a spring holiday in April. Edinburgh’s autumn term started on 12 August 2026, the same day Glasgow pupils went back, and the two finish on 29 and 25 June 2027 respectively. In Northern Ireland the school year runs from early September to the end of June, and schools choose their own holidays within dates agreed across sectors. In Wales, Cardiff’s holidays come earlier than those of the English councils we checked: February half term is 8 to 12 February 2027 and the Easter holiday 22 March to 2 April.
2026/27 school holidays in England, by council
| Council | October half term 2026 | Christmas | February half term 2027 | Easter 2027 | May half term 2027 | Summer holiday starts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hampshire | 26–30 Oct | 21 Dec–1 Jan | 15–19 Feb | 26 Mar–9 Apr | 31 May–4 Jun | Thu 22 Jul |
| Kent | 26–30 Oct | 21 Dec–1 Jan | 15–19 Feb | 26 Mar–9 Apr | 31 May–4 Jun | Thu 22 Jul |
| Surrey | 19–30 Oct | 21 Dec–1 Jan | 15–19 Feb | 26 Mar–9 Apr | 31 May–4 Jun | Thu 29 Jul |
| Essex | 26–30 Oct | 21 Dec–1 Jan | 15–19 Feb | 26 Mar–9 Apr | 31 May–4 Jun | Thu 22 Jul |
| Hertfordshire | 26–30 Oct | 21 Dec–1 Jan | 15–19 Feb | 26 Mar–9 Apr | 31 May–4 Jun | Fri 23 Jul |
| Lancashire | 26–30 Oct | 21 Dec–1 Jan | 15–19 Feb | 26 Mar–9 Apr | 31 May–4 Jun | Thu 22 Jul |
| Birmingham | 26–30 Oct | 21 Dec–1 Jan | 15–19 Feb | 26 Mar–9 Apr | 31 May–4 Jun | Thu 22 Jul |
| Leeds | 26–30 Oct | 21 Dec–1 Jan | 15–19 Feb | 26 & 29 Mar, then 5–16 Apr | 31 May–4 Jun | Fri 23 Jul |
Ranges are the weekdays with no school. Where a council publishes term dates rather than holidays (Kent, Surrey, Lancashire and Birmingham), the holiday is the gap between terms. All eight start the spring term on Monday 4 January 2027. Every school also takes training (INSET) days of its own on top of these dates.
2026/27 school holidays in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
| Area | October 2026 | Christmas | February 2027 | Easter / spring 2027 | May 2027 | Summer 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh | 12–19 Oct | 21 Dec–5 Jan | 15–19 Feb | 26 & 29 Mar, then 5–19 Apr | 3 May; 24 May (Victoria Day) | Term ends Tue 29 Jun |
| Glasgow | 12–16 Oct (in-service day 9 Oct) | 21 Dec–4 Jan | 15–17 Feb | 26 & 29 Mar, then 5–16 Apr | 3 May; 28 & 31 May | Schools close Fri 25 Jun |
| Cardiff | 26–30 Oct | 21 Dec–1 Jan | 8–12 Feb | 22 Mar–2 Apr | 31 May–4 Jun | Term ends Tue 20 Jul |
| Northern Ireland (Education Authority common closure dates; schools set their own) | 29–30 Oct | 21 Dec–1 Jan | 11–12 Feb | 17 Mar; 25 Mar–2 Apr | 3 May; 31 May | School year ends late June |
Glasgow also lists an in-service day on Thursday 6 May 2027. The Northern Ireland row shows the days the Education Authority has set as non-operational for school transport and meals in 2026/27, which is where most schools’ holidays fall; individual schools can differ and have up to ten school development days of their own, so ask the school.
Hampshire school holidays 2026/27
Hampshire County Council’s dates apply to its community and controlled schools; voluntary-aided and foundation schools and some academies may use them too. Southampton and Portsmouth have their own city councils, so check their dates separately.
- Autumn half term: Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026
- Christmas: Monday 21 December 2026 to Friday 1 January 2027
- Spring half term: Monday 15 to Friday 19 February 2027
- Easter: Friday 26 March to Friday 9 April 2027
- Summer half term: Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027
- Summer holiday: Thursday 22 July to Tuesday 31 August 2027
Hampshire has also published 2027/28: autumn half term 25 to 29 October 2027, Christmas 20 December 2027 to 3 January 2028, spring half term 14 to 18 February 2028, Easter 3 to 17 April 2028, summer half term 29 May to 2 June 2028, and the summer holiday from 24 July 2028. Each school also sets five professional days, including INSET days, within term time.
How to find your school’s dates
- England and Wales: enter your postcode in GOV.UK’s school term and holiday dates service, which links to your council’s page.
- Scotland: check your council’s website; the service above does not cover Scotland.
- Northern Ireland: ask the school. Holiday dates are agreed across school sectors, but schools don’t all take the same days.
- Academies and other schools: if your school is an academy, free school, foundation or voluntary-aided school, its own website has its dates.
- Training days: add the school’s INSET or in-service days, which are set by each school.
Planning a group trip around the school holidays
For a family group, the school holidays decide the dates, and a few patterns help:
- Half terms are Monday to Friday. A half-term stay usually starts on the Friday or Saturday before, so check whether the house takes a Friday arrival and what its minimum stay is.
- May half term 2027 starts on a bank holiday. In the English councils we checked, half term begins on the spring bank holiday, Monday 31 May, so a Friday-to-Friday stay from 28 May gives a week with only four days out of school. Our bank holidays 2027 guide lists every long weekend.
- Mixed Scottish and English families. The holidays rarely line up. The week of 15 to 19 February 2027 is half term for all eight English councils we checked and for Edinburgh; in summer 2027 the English holidays in those councils begin on 22 or 23 July (Surrey 29 July), and Glasgow pupils are back on 18 August, which leaves about four weeks when both are off.
- Easter 2027 is early. Good Friday is 26 March; see when is Easter 2027 for the dates by nation.
- No children in the group? Avoid the school holidays altogether. Term-time midweek stays are the easiest to book; our midweek stays guide explains why.
For the house, start with large family holiday homes, multi-generational holiday houses or holiday homes with a pool and games room for the summer, and read our safety checklist for bringing young children. For Easter and Christmas, see Easter group houses and Christmas group houses.
Sources
Dates are from the councils’ own pages, checked on 24 September 2026: Hampshire, Kent, Surrey, Essex, Hertfordshire, Lancashire, Birmingham, Leeds, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cardiff, and for Northern Ireland the Education Authority and nidirect. Councils can change their dates, so always confirm with the school before you pay a deposit.
