On this page
How UK school holidays are set
Term dates in the UK are devolved. England leaves the decision to each local authority and, in the case of academies and free schools, to the individual trust. Scotland sets dates at council level. Wales agreed a single national framework in 2024 to harmonise dates across the 22 local authorities. Northern Ireland operates on a board level basis although most schools follow a similar pattern. The result is that within any one nation there can be small variations of a day or two between neighbouring areas, and across the four nations the differences can run to a fortnight, particularly in the summer break.
For families with children at school in more than one part of the UK, this matters in practice. A Scottish summer holiday that runs late June to mid August will overlap with an English summer holiday running late July to early September by only four weeks. Half term weeks rarely line up. Booking a family trip around two school calendars is a recognised parenting problem and, in our reader survey last winter, one of the top reasons cited for choosing a single school system across the family.
England 2026 term dates
For the typical English state school, the 2025 to 2026 academic year runs from early September 2025 to late July 2026, with the following shape. Autumn term: Monday 1 September 2025 to Friday 19 December 2025, with a half term of one week around 27 to 31 October. Spring term: Monday 5 January 2026 to Thursday 2 April 2026, with a half term of one week around 16 to 20 February and an Easter break of two weeks running 3 April to 17 April. Summer term: Monday 20 April 2026 to mid or late July 2026, with a half term of one week around 25 to 29 May straddling the spring bank holiday on 25 May.
Five INSET days are normally taken out of these terms, with the exact placement varying by school. The most common pattern is one INSET day on the first day of autumn term, one before Christmas and three sprinkled across the rest of the year. For the start of the 2026 to 2027 academic year, English schools typically return on or around Wednesday 2 September 2026, although a small number of academy trusts start a week earlier or later. London boroughs are usually clustered within a day or two of each other; the variation is wider in the South West and East Anglia.
Scotland 2026 term dates
Scottish schools break up for summer significantly earlier than English schools, typically late June, and return in mid August. The 2025 to 2026 Scottish school year for most councils runs as follows. Summer 2025 ends mid August, autumn term to Friday 9 October 2025, October break of one or two weeks (the longer break is more common in the Highlands and Western Isles), winter term to Tuesday 23 December 2025, Christmas break of two weeks, spring term to Friday 27 March 2026 with a February break in mid month, Easter break of two weeks from late March, summer term to late June 2026 with a May day on Monday 4 May and a Victoria Day local holiday in some councils on Monday 25 May.
Edinburgh and Glasgow follow broadly similar patterns but with one to three days of divergence on specific in service days. The Scottish summer break is the longest contiguous holiday in the UK at six to seven weeks, and the Scottish school year compensates with a shorter Easter break in some councils. For families relocating from Scotland to England, the shorter Scottish summer and longer Easter take some adjusting to.
Plan the year around the calendar
If you are weighing a move within or to the UK, our cost of living calculator and school finder let you frame the decision around budget and the specific schools in catchment. For families comparing state and independent options, the compare tool shows fee structures side by side.
Wales 2026 term dates
Wales now operates on a near uniform national term date framework agreed by the 22 local authorities. The 2025 to 2026 Welsh academic year runs autumn term from Monday 1 September 2025 to Friday 19 December 2025 with a half term in late October, spring term from Monday 5 January 2026 to Friday 27 March 2026 with a half term in late February, and summer term from Monday 13 April 2026 to mid July 2026 with a half term around 1 to 5 June, slightly later than in England.
The most notable Welsh divergence is the later May half term, which sits one week after the English break and aligns with the late spring bank holiday only in some years. This creates a regular flashpoint for Welsh border families who have one child at a Welsh state school and another across the border in England. The Welsh summer break runs roughly six weeks, longer than England but shorter than Scotland.
Northern Ireland 2026 term dates
Northern Ireland follows a broadly similar pattern to England but with some characteristic differences. The summer break is the shortest in the UK at around six weeks, with schools returning in late August or the first day of September. Most NI schools take a two day October half term rather than a full week, with Halloween Monday and Tuesday off. The Easter break in NI usually runs from Maundy Thursday to the Wednesday after Easter Monday, slightly shorter than the English two week break. St Patrick's Day on Tuesday 17 March 2026 is a school holiday across Northern Ireland.
For families with children in NI schools planning travel to GB, the early August return is the trickiest aspect of the calendar. By the time NI schools are back, much of England is still on summer holiday, which makes the last fortnight of August a poor window for cross border family travel.
Private school holidays
Independent schools in the UK set their own term dates and typically run longer holidays than the state sector. A typical UK private school will take a Christmas break of three to four weeks rather than two, an Easter break of three weeks rather than two, and a summer break of eight to nine weeks rather than six. The half term weeks are usually a full week in all three terms. This longer holiday pattern is a structural feature of the independent sector and one reason private school fees are sometimes compared on a per teaching day basis. For relocating families weighing private versus state, our returning expat UK schools guide walks through the choice in detail.
Boarding schools have a still longer holiday pattern, often with an additional two week half term in October. Many boarding schools work on a three or four exeat weekend rhythm that further fragments term time. Our boarding school holiday arrangements guide explains the practical implications for parents based overseas.
Planning travel and childcare
The expensive practical reality of UK school holidays is the cost of travel in the protected weeks. Flights and accommodation across the May, October and February half terms can run 50 to 100 per cent above shoulder weeks. The summer holiday peak is the four weeks running mid July to mid August, when across all four nations at least three are simultaneously on holiday. Off peak travel within the holidays is possible in late August in Scotland (back at school) and in late June in England (still at school).
For families needing childcare across the longer holidays, most local authorities run holiday clubs and activity camps subsidised by the Holiday Activities and Food programme in England, with similar schemes in Wales and Scotland. Private holiday clubs at GBP 35 to 60 per day are the norm in expat heavy areas of London and the South East. International schools in the UK often run their own holiday camps that double as enrichment programmes; these are sometimes available to non enrolled pupils.
For families weighing a move into the UK, the holiday calendar is one piece of a wider decision. Our London city guide sets out the school landscape and the holiday calendars across international schools piece shows how UK based international schools sit alongside the state and private patterns.
FAQ
Are UK school holidays the same across the four nations?
No. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland set their own term dates. Scotland tends to break up earlier in summer, Northern Ireland later. Half term weeks rarely align across all four nations, which matters for families with children at school in different parts of the UK.
Do private schools follow the same holidays?
Independent schools set their own term dates and usually have longer summer, Christmas and Easter holidays than the state sector, often by one or two weeks each. Always check the school's own calendar before booking travel.
When are the 2026 bank holidays in the UK?
Key 2026 UK bank holidays include Good Friday on 3 April, Easter Monday on 6 April, early May on 4 May, spring on 25 May, summer on 31 August in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 3 August in Scotland, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Half term weeks usually wrap around the May bank holidays.