UK School Term and Holiday Dates 2025 - 2027
Image Credit: Roman Mager
School holidays - Woohoo! No school run, no fight to get the kids out of the door, no homework (well, maybe not until the end of the break....)
So maybe you are hoping to get away, or just looking forward to a break, or perhaps you need to find babysitters or a holiday club for you kids. So you will need to know all the dates for the school year.
Note: Always check with your kid's school to confirm dates before booking a vacation, as some school holidays vary between different local authorities. Some private and public schools have shorter terms and longer holidays than state schools.
So here are the standard term dates for a state school in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland's term dates are listed separately as they differ substantially from the rest of the UK.
To find the exact dates for your local authority visit www.gov.uk/school-term-holiday-dates and enter your postcode.
And don't forget that your break from school may be extended by adding the school INSET days to one end of the break or the other, and this will vary by individual schools.
Persuading the kids to get on with homework in the school holidays can be tough, so here is how to get children to do homework without a battle.
Academic Year Term Dates 2025-2026
Term dates in England and Northern Ireland's schools.
Autumn Term 2025
- Autumn Term Begins - Monday 1st September 2025.
- October Half Term - Monday 27th October 2025 to Friday 31st October 2025
- Return To School - Monday 3rd November 2025
- Christmas Holidays - Friday 22 December 2025 to Friday 2nd January 2026
Spring Term 2026
- Term Begins - Monday 5th January 2026
- February Half Term - Monday 16th February 2026 to Friday 20th February 2026
- Return To School - Monday 23rd February 2026
- Easter Holidays - Monday 30th March 2026 to Friday 10th April 2026
Summer Term 2026
- Term Begins - Monday 13th April 2026
- May Half Term - Monday 25th May 2026 to Friday 29th May 2026
- Return To School - Monday 1st June 2026
- Summer Holiday Commences - Tuesday 22nd July 2026
Image Credit: Oliver Hale
Academic Year Term Dates Wales 2025-2026
Wales' term dates largely align with those in England with some variations.
*Reminder: Term dates may vary in different areas of the country. Schools may extend holidays by adding INSET days at the start and end of the break. Term dates at private schools may vary.
These dates apply to Wales only.
Autumn Term 2025
- Autumn Term Begins - Monday 1st September 2025.
- October Half Term - Monday 27th October 2025 to Friday 31st October 2025
- Return To School - Monday 3rd November 2025
- Christmas Holidays - Monday 22nd December 2025 to Friday 2nd January 2026
Spring Term 2026
- Term Begins - Monday 5th January 2026
- February Half Term - Monday 16th February to Friday 20th February 2026
- Return To School - Monday 23rd February 2026
- Easter Holidays - Friday 30th March 2026 to Friday 10th April 2026
Summer Term 2026
- Term Begins - Monday 13th April 2026
- May Half Term - Monday 25th May 2026 to Friday 29th May 2026
- Return To School - Monday 1st June 2026
- Summer Holiday Commences - Monday 20th July 2026
Academic Year Term Dates Scotland 2025 - 2026
The school term dates in Scotland are not the same as those in the rest of the United Kingdom. Here are the dates for Scotland's schools only. Variations occur in different school council areas, so always check with individual schools for exact dates.
Also there are a number of local casual holidays where schools will be closed. Check with your child's school for these dates, as well as confirming INSET day dates as well.
Autumn Term 2025 Scotland
- Autumn Term Begins - Monday 18th August 2025.
- October Half Term - Monday 13th October to Friday 24th October 2025
- Return To School - Monday 27th October 2025
- Christmas Holidays - Monday 22nd December 2025 to Friday 2nd January 2026
Spring Term 2026 Scotland
- Term Begins - Monday 5th January 2026
- February Half Term - Monday 9th to Friday 13th February 2026 OR Monday 16th to Friday 20th February 2026
- Return To School - Monday 16th/23rd February 2026
- Easter Holidays - Thursday 2nd April 2026 to Friday 17th April 2026
Summer Term 2026 Scotland
- Term Begins - Monday 20th April 2026
- May Half Term - Monday 5th May 2026
- Return To School - Tuesday 6th May 2026
- Summer Holiday Commences - Thursday 2nd July 2026
Academic Year Term Dates 2026-2027
Reminder: Term dates may vary in different areas of the country. Schools may extend holidays by adding INSET days at the start and end of the break. Term dates at private schools may vary.
These dates apply to England and Northern Ireland only.
Autumn Term 2026
- Autumn Term Begins - Tuesday 1st September 2026.
- October Half Term - Monday 26th October 2026 to Friday 30th October 2026
- Return To School - Monday 2nd November 2026
- Christmas Holidays - Monday 21st December 2026 to Friday 1st January 2027
Spring Term 2027
- Term Begins - Monday 4th January 2027
- February Half Term - Monday 15th February to Friday 19th February 2027
- Return To School - Monday 22nd February 2027
- Easter Holidays - Monday 26th March 2027 to Friday 9th April 2027
Summer Term 2027
- Term Begins - Monday 12th April 2027
- May Half Term - Monday 31st May 2027 to Friday 4th June 2027
- Return To School - Monday 7th June 2027
- Summer Holiday Commences - Tuesday 22nd July 2027
If your kids have got revision to do during the school holidays, here are 50+ free online revision resources for Sats, 11+ GCSEs and A-Levels to help them.
Academic Year Term Dates Wales 2026-2027
Wales' term dates largely align with those in England with some variations.
*Reminder: Term dates may vary in different areas of the country. Schools may extend holidays by adding INSET days at the start and end of the break. Term dates at private schools may vary.
These dates apply to Wales only.
Autumn Term 2026
- Autumn Term Begins - Tuesday 1st September 2026.
- October Half Term - Monday 26th October 2026 to Friday 30th October 2026
- Return To School - Monday 2nd November 2026
- Christmas Holidays - Monday 21st December 2026 to Friday 1st January 2027
Spring Term 2027
- Term Begins - Monday 4th January 2027
- February Half Term - Monday 8th February to Friday 12th February 2027 OR Monday 15th February to Friday 19th February 2027 (Check with school)
- Return To School - Monday 15th February 2027 OR Monday 22nd February 2027
- Easter Holidays - Friday 19th March 2027 to Friday 2nd April 2027 OR Thursday 25th March to Friday 9th April
Summer Term 2027
- Term Begins - Monday 5th April 2027 OR Monday 12th April
- May Half Term - Monday 31st May 2027 to Friday 4th June 2027
- Return To School - Monday 7th June 2027
- Summer Holiday Commences - Friday 16th July 2027 OR Tuesday 20th July 2027 OR Wednesday 21st July
Academic Year Term Dates Scotland 2026-2027
Scotland's term dates do not align with those in the rest of the United Kingdom. Here are the dates for Scotland only. Variations as outlined above may occur, check with individual schools for exact dates.
Also there are a number of local casual holidays where schools will be closed. Check with your child's school for these dates.
Autumn Term 2026 Scotland
- Autumn Term Begins - Wednesday 19th August 2026.
- October Half Term - Monday 12th October 2026 to Friday 16th October 2026
- Return To School - Monday 19th October 2026
- Christmas Holidays - Monday 23rd December 2026 to Tuesday 5th January 2027
Spring Term 2027 Scotland
- Term Begins - Wednesday 6th January 2027
- February Half Term - Monday 8th to Friday 12th February 2027
- Return To School - Monday 15th February 2027
- Easter Holidays - Monday 5th April 2027 to Friday 16th April 2027
Some areas of Scotland do not regard Easter Monday (29th March 2027) as a public holiday. Check with your school.
Summer Term 2027 Scotland
- Term Begins - Monday 19th April 2027
- May Half Term - Monday 3rd May 2027
- Return To School - Tuesday 4th May 2027
- Summer Holiday Commences - Friday 2nd July 2027
Academic Year Term Dates 2027-2028
Dates for 2027 to 2028 to be confirmed.