Find school term dates, half terms, and holidays for 2025-26 and 2026-27
Term dates shown are typical schedules. Actual dates vary by local authority and individual schools. Always check with your school for confirmed dates.
Planning around school term dates is essential for families across the UK. Whether you are booking a holiday, arranging childcare, or simply trying to work out when the next half term falls, having accurate term date information readily available saves time and helps avoid expensive peak-period travel bookings. UK school term dates are not uniform across the country. Education is a devolved matter, meaning England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland each follow different academic calendars. Even within England, dates can vary between local authorities, academy trusts, and individual schools. However, most schools follow a broadly similar structure with three terms (autumn, spring, and summer) split by half-term breaks. Scotland has the most distinctive calendar, with the school year beginning in mid-August, roughly two to three weeks before England and Wales. Scottish schools also finish earlier in summer, typically by the end of June. This earlier start and finish reflects Scotland's different public holiday pattern and allows families to take advantage of lower holiday prices in late June and early July. The standard UK school year comprises 190 school days, or 380 half-day sessions. Schools must be open for this number of days, with the remaining days of the calendar year taken up by weekends, school holidays, and teacher training days (INSET days). Most schools have five or six INSET days per year, which are set by the individual school or academy trust. Our calculator shows the typical term dates for 2025-26 and 2026-27 academic years across all four UK nations. It also calculates the number of days until the next school holiday from the current date, helping you plan ahead for breaks and activities. While these dates represent the typical pattern published by the Department for Education and devolved governments, individual schools may vary by a day or two, particularly for the start and end of terms. Academy schools and free schools in England have additional flexibility to set their own term dates. Always confirm dates with your child's school.
To look up school term dates: 1. Select your region from the dropdown. Choose England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland. Term dates differ between these nations, particularly for the start of the autumn term and the length of the summer holiday. 2. Select the academic year you want to view. Choose between 2025-26 (current year) and 2026-27 (next year). 3. Review the results panel. The calculator shows the next upcoming school holiday, the number of days until that holiday, total school days in the year, and total holiday days. 4. Use this information to plan holidays, childcare, and activities. Booking holidays outside school term dates is significantly cheaper for most destinations. The half-term breaks in October, February, and May are popular for short breaks. 5. Note that the dates shown are the typical published schedule. Your school may have slight variations, and INSET days (teacher training days) are set by individual schools and are not included in this calculator.
School term dates follow a standard structure across the UK: The academic year is divided into three main terms: Autumn (September to December), Spring (January to Easter), and Summer (Easter to July). Each term is split by a one-week half-term break, creating six teaching blocks. England 2026-27 typical dates: Autumn term starts September 3, with October half term in the last week of October. The Christmas holiday runs from approximately December 21 to January 1. Spring term resumes in early January with February half term in the third week of February. Easter holiday is typically two weeks in April. Summer term runs from late April through to late July, with a May half term break. Scotland 2026-27: The key difference is that Scottish schools start in mid-August (around August 18) and finish by the end of June, giving a longer summer holiday that starts earlier. October half term is typically in the second week of October, earlier than England. Wales and Northern Ireland follow dates broadly similar to England, with minor variations in the exact start and end dates of each term. Total school days: All UK schools must provide 190 school days per year. The remaining calendar days (approximately 175) account for weekends, school holidays, and bank holidays. The total holiday period typically includes 6 half-term weeks, 2 weeks at Christmas, 2 weeks at Easter, and approximately 6 weeks in summer.