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 2024-2025
*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 2024
- Autumn Term Begins - Tuesday 2nd September 2024.
- October Half Term - Monday 28th October 2024 to Friday 1st November 2024
- Return To School - Monday 4th November 2024
- Christmas Holidays - Monday 23rd December 2024 to Friday 3rd January 2025
Spring Term 2025
- Term Begins - Monday 6th January 2025
- February Half Term - Monday 17th February to Friday 21st February 2025
- Return To School - Monday 24th February 2025
- Easter Holidays - Monday 7th April 2025 to Monday 21st April 2025 (Monday 21st April 2025 is Easter Monday)
Summer Term 2025
- Term Begins - Tuesday 22nd April 2025
- May Half Term - Monday 26th May 2025 to Friday 30th May 2025
- Return To School - Monday 2nd June 2025
- Summer Holiday Commences - Wednesday 25th July 2025
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 2024-2025
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 2024
- Autumn Term Begins - Tuesday 2nd September 2024.
- October Half Term - Monday 28th October 2024 to Friday 1st November 2024
- Return To School - Monday 4th November 2024
- Christmas Holidays - Monday 23rd December 2024 to Friday 3rd January 2025
Spring Term 2025
- Term Begins - Monday 6th January 2025
- February Half Term - Monday 24th February to Friday 28th February 2025
- Return To School - Monday 3rd March 2025
- Easter Holidays - Monday 14th April 2025 to Friday 25th April 2025
Summer Term 2025
- Term Begins - Monday 28th April 2025
- May Half Term - Monday 26th May 2025 to Friday 30th May 2025
- Return To School - Monday 2nd June 2025
- Summer Holiday Commences - Monday 21st July 2025
Academic Year Term Dates Scotland 2024-2025
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 2024 Scotland
- Autumn Term Begins - Monday 12th August 2024.
- October Half Term - Monday 14th October 2024 to Friday 25th October 2024
- Return To School - Monday 28th October 2024
- Christmas Holidays - Monday 23rd December 2024 to Friday 3rd January 2025
Spring Term 2025 Scotland
- Term Begins - Monday 6th January 2025
- February Half Term - Monday 10th to Friday 14th February 2025 OR Monday 17th to Friday 21st February
- Return To School - Monday 17th/24th February 2025
- Easter Holidays - Monday 7th April 2025 to Friday 18th April OR Monday 21st April 2025 (Monday 21st April 2025 is Easter Monday)
Some areas of Scotland do not regard Easter Monday as a public holiday. Check with your school.
Summer Term 2025 Scotland
- Term Begins - Monday 21st/Tuesday 22nd April 2025
- May Half Term - Monday 5th May 2025
- Return To School - Tuesday 6th May 2025
- Summer Holiday Commences - Monday 30th June 2025
Academic Year Term Dates 2025-2026
Term dates in England, Wales 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
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
Autumn Term 2026
- Return To School 31st August 2026
Further school term dates for 2026-2027 TBA.
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