TermPlanner

School holidays 2026-2027

Every half term and holiday in the 2026-2027 school year, for all 146 councils in England and Wales. The dates below are the ones most councils use; your own council, and your own school, may differ by a day or a week.

  1. October half term 2026

    26–30 October 2026

    Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October · 5 school days

    130 of 145 councils (90%).

  2. Christmas holidays 2026

    21 Dec 2026 – 1 Jan 2027

    Monday 21 December to Friday 1 January · 10 school days

    106 of 146 councils (73%). The rest vary - see the page.

  3. February half term 2027

    15–19 February 2027

    Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February · 5 school days

    129 of 145 councils (89%).

  4. Easter holidays 2027

    26 March – 9 April 2027

    Friday 26 March to Friday 9 April · 11 school days

    96 of 146 councils (66%). The rest vary - see the page.

  5. May half term 2027

    31 May – 4 June 2027

    Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June · 5 school days

    132 of 145 councils (91%).

  6. Summer holidays 2027

    22 July – 31 August 2027

    Thursday 22 July to Tuesday 31 August · 29 school days

    77 of 146 councils (53%). The rest vary - see the page.

Questions about the school year

How many terms are in a school year?
Three: autumn, spring and summer. Each is split in two by a half-term week, which is why you will also see the year written as six terms - some councils, Lincolnshire among them, number them Term 1 to Term 6.
How many weeks are in a school year?
39 weeks of teaching, or about 38 once INSET days are taken out. Schools in England must open to pupils for 190 days, which is 38 five-day weeks; teachers work 195, the extra five being INSET days.
How many school days are in a year?
190 for pupils. Anything above that on a published calendar usually means the council counts INSET days as term time; anything much below usually means a date is missing from the calendar.
What is an INSET day?
An in-service training day: the school is open to staff and closed to pupils. There are five a year. Councils set the term dates, but each school chooses its own INSET days, so two schools in the same street can be closed on different days - which is why this site publishes schools as well as councils.
When do schools go back after summer?
Most councils start the 2026-2027 year in the first week of September 2026. The exact day varies by council and, because the first day or two are often INSET days, by school - check your school's own page.
When do schools break up for summer?
In the third week of July 2027 for most councils, though a few finish earlier - Leicestershire schools close in the first week of July and start the year in late August.

School holidays by council

Each council’s own dates for every break, with what changes from the dates above.