There is no single set of school holiday dates that applies everywhere in 2027 — councils set term dates for their community schools, academies can set their own, and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each follow different patterns. What does hold is the shape of the year. Below: every holiday in the 2027 calendar year, from February half term through to Christmas, with the dates we checked on eleven councils’ websites when they published their 2026/27 academic year. For autumn 2027 (October half term and the Christmas break), most councils have not yet published 2027/28 dates; they tend to follow the same pattern year on year, so the ranges below are based on the prior year.
School holidays in 2027 at a glance
| Holiday | Dates (most English councils) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| February half term | Mon 15 – Fri 19 Feb | Surrey, Edinburgh same; Glasgow 15–17 Feb; Cardiff 8–12 Feb |
| Easter | Fri 26 Mar – Fri 9 Apr | Starts on Good Friday. Leeds: 5–16 Apr plus Good Friday and Easter Monday |
| May half term | Mon 31 May – Fri 4 Jun | 31 May is the spring bank holiday, so four days’ leave gets the full two weeks off |
| Summer | From Thu/Fri 22–23 Jul | Surrey from 29 Jul; Cardiff 20 Jul; Glasgow from 25 Jun; Edinburgh from 29 Jun. Returns early Sep |
| October half term | c.25–31 Oct (TBC) | Most councils follow the same week each year. 2026 was 26–30 Oct in 7 of 8 councils |
| Christmas | c.20 Dec 2027 – 3 Jan 2028 (TBC) | Christmas bank holidays are Mon 27 and Tue 28 Dec. Schools typically back first full week of January |
February half term 2027
Monday 15 to Friday 19 February in all eight English councils we checked (Hampshire, Kent, Surrey, Essex, Hertfordshire, Lancashire, Birmingham and Leeds), and in Edinburgh. It falls in the same week across most of England, which makes it one of the most contested weeks of the year for big group houses. Glasgow has its February break on Monday 15 to Wednesday 17 February; Cardiff is earlier, Monday 8 to Friday 12 February. If your group mixes English and Scottish families, Edinburgh lines up well: the same week as England.
Easter school holidays 2027
Easter Sunday 2027 is 28 March, making it a relatively early Easter. Good Friday (26 March) and Easter Monday (29 March) are bank holidays in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, giving a four-day weekend at the start of the school holiday fortnight. In seven of the eight English councils we checked, schools are off from Good Friday, 26 March, to Friday 9 April. Leeds holds its Easter break to the first two full weeks of April regardless of when Easter falls: 5 to 16 April, with Good Friday and Easter Monday off on top. Scottish schools have the same pattern: Edinburgh is off 5 to 19 April (plus 26 and 29 March); Glasgow 5 to 16 April. Cardiff runs 22 March to 2 April.
The clocks go forward on Easter Sunday itself in 2027, so the Saturday night of the long weekend is an hour shorter. See our Easter 2027 guide for everything by nation, and Easter group houses for what’s available.
May half term 2027
Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027 in all eight English councils we checked, and in Cardiff. The 31 May is the spring bank holiday, so the half term starts on a bank holiday Monday: a group that books from Saturday 29 May gets a long weekend straight into the school holiday week. For families looking for a whole week off with minimum annual leave used, this is the one. See our bank holidays 2027 guide for every long weekend.
May half term is one of the busiest booking windows of the year. Groups with children do well to secure a house before March. Large family holiday homes and houses with a pool and games room for summer weather are good starting points.
Summer holidays 2027
Most English councils finish the summer term in the third or fourth week of July. In Hampshire, Kent, Essex, Lancashire and Birmingham, the last day of term is Wednesday 21 July 2027, making the first full free day Thursday 22 July. Hertfordshire and Leeds are a day later, Surrey finishes on Wednesday 28 July. Schools return in early September. Cardiff’s last day is Tuesday 20 July; Glasgow’s pupils finish at 1pm on Friday 25 June and are back on Wednesday 18 August 2027, giving a longer break than England. Edinburgh finishes on Tuesday 29 June.
The practical upshot for a mixed English group: there are roughly six weeks from late July when all eight English councils are off at once, and the August bank holiday (Saturday 28 to Monday 30 August) is the most popular house weekend of the summer. Book early. See our summer holidays 2027 planning guide for the full picture, and houses by group size to start your search.
October half term 2027
Most councils have not yet published their 2027/28 term dates. In 2026/27, seven of the eight English councils we checked had October half term on Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026; Surrey gave two weeks, 19 to 30 October. Half terms tend to fall in the same calendar week year on year, so we expect 2027 October half term for most English councils to be around Monday 25 to Friday 31 October 2027. Check your council’s website when 2027/28 dates are published, typically in spring 2027.
Christmas school holidays 2027
Christmas 2027 dates have not yet been published by most councils. In 2026/27, all eleven councils we checked broke up on Monday 21 December 2026 and returned on Monday 4 January 2027. Christmas Day 2027 is a Saturday, so the bank holidays fall on Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December, and New Year’s Day 2028 is also a Saturday, meaning the first bank holiday of 2028 is Monday 3 January. Schools are likely to return in the first full week of January 2028. For a group house over Christmas and New Year, see our Twixmas guide and browse Christmas group houses and New Year houses.
Planning a group trip around the school holidays
For a family group, the school holidays are the dates, full stop. A few things that help with the booking:
- Half terms book fast. February and May half term in England are the two most contested weeks for large group houses. Getting a shortlist together in January and February respectively is not too early.
- May half term is a long weekend plus a week. Because 31 May is the spring bank holiday, a Friday arrival on 28 May gives a full week in the house with only four school days missed. Our bank holidays 2027 guide maps out every combination.
- Mixed Scottish and English families. The summer windows differ by up to four weeks. The overlap for Glasgow and most English councils is roughly 22 July to 18 August 2027 — about four weeks. For February and May half terms, Edinburgh lines up with England; Glasgow does not.
- No children? Avoid the school holidays entirely. Term-time midweek stays are the cheapest and easiest to book; our midweek stays guide explains why.
- Hen parties and school holidays. Brighton, Bath and the Cotswolds are in demand during school holidays from families as well as celebration groups, so the same early-booking advice applies. A midweek hen party in term time is noticeably easier to organise.
Start with large family holiday homes, multi-generational holiday houses, or houses by group size. Every enquiry goes straight to the owner.
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 the Northern Ireland Education Authority. Autumn 2027 dates are not yet published; check your council when 2027/28 term dates are released.
