UK School Holidays 2027: Half Term, Easter and Summer Dates for England, Scotland, Wales and NI

In most of England, the school holidays in 2027 are February half term from 15 to 19 February, Easter from 26 March to 9 April (Easter Sunday is 28 March), May half term from 31 May to 4 June, summer holidays from about 22 July, and October half term from 25 to 29 October 2027. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland follow different patterns, and dates vary between councils, so the tables below show what each council has published.

Last checked: 27 October 2026. Dates come from each council's own term-dates page. Academies, free schools, faith schools and independent schools can set different dates, and every school adds its own training (INSET) days, so check with your child's school before you book. Where a date had not been published, we say so.

School holidays 2027 at a glance

For your own area of England or Wales, enter your postcode in the GOV.UK school term dates lookup.

England: half term dates 2027 by council

In England, each local authority sets dates for its community and voluntary-controlled schools, and academy trusts can follow them or set their own. In 2027 most big councils line up, with Leeds the main exception at Easter.

October half term and Christmas 2027 in England

Manchester and several London boroughs also publish dates, but we could not read their pages when we checked, so we have not listed them rather than guess.

Scotland: school holidays 2027 by council

Scottish schools break up for summer in late June or early July and return in mid August. There is no May half term week, just single holiday days.

Note: Edinburgh's term-dates web page gives the October 2027 break as 18 to 25 October, but its downloadable 2027/28 calendar shows the break starting on Friday 15 October. Check with your school before booking. May holidays in 2027 include Monday 3 May in all three councils, Victoria Day on 24 May in Edinburgh and a May weekend on 28 and 31 May in Glasgow.

Wales: 2026/27 and 2027/28 dates

For 2026/27, the Welsh Government set the same dates for maintained schools in all 22 local authorities (gov.wales):

• February half term 2027: 8 to 12 February.
• Easter 2027: spring term ends Friday 19 March, summer term starts Monday 5 April.
• May half term 2027: 31 May to 4 June.
• Summer 2027: term ends Tuesday 20 July (Friday 16 July in Powys).

For 2027/28, each council has published its own dates, but the half terms are the same across Wales (gov.wales):

• Autumn term 2027: starts 1 or 2 September, depending on the council.
• October half term 2027: 25 to 29 October.
• Christmas 2027: most councils end on Friday 17 December and return on Tuesday 4 January 2028. Anglesey, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd and Wrexham end on Wednesday 22 December and return on Thursday 6 January. Powys ends on Monday 20 December and returns on 6 January.
• February half term 2028: 21 to 25 February.

Plans to reform the Welsh school year, with a longer October break and shorter summer, were put on hold in June 2024 (gov.wales), so 2027 follows the usual pattern.

Northern Ireland: what is published

Each school in Northern Ireland sets its own holidays. The Education Authority publishes the days school transport and meals will not run, which most schools plan around (Education Authority). For the first half of 2027 these are 11 and 12 February, 17 March (St Patrick's Day), 25 March to 2 April (Easter), 3 May, 31 May and the whole of July. Schools add 3 optional closure days of their own.

The 2027/28 dates (October half term and Christmas 2027) were not yet published when we checked. The 2026/27 list was published early in 2026, so expect the 2027/28 list in a similar timescale.

Easter 2027 and bank holidays

Easter Sunday 2027 is 28 March, an early Easter. Bank holidays from GOV.UK:

Christmas Day 2027 falls on a Saturday, so the bank holidays move to 27 and 28 December, and New Year's Day 2028 is observed on Monday 3 January.

Term-time holidays in England

Schools in England can only authorise term-time absence in exceptional circumstances, and GOV.UK says a holiday "is generally not considered an exceptional circumstance" (GOV.UK). The national rules in force since 19 August 2024 are:

• a fine of £80 per parent per child, rising to £160 if not paid within 21 days (GOV.UK)
• £160 for a second fine for the same child within 3 years
• no more than 2 fines per parent for the same child in 3 years, after which the council may go to court instead
• a fine is considered once a pupil has 10 sessions (usually 5 school days) of unauthorised absence within a rolling 10 school weeks

The rules are different in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, so ask your school or council.

Planning a trip in the 2027 school holidays

• Book early for Easter 2027. Most English councils share the same two weeks, so demand is concentrated.
• Check your nations' dates. Wales's February half term and Easter come a week or more before England's, Scotland's summer starts about four weeks earlier, and Leeds has a later Easter.
• Compare departure days and airports. Prices can change between a Friday evening, Saturday or Sunday departure, and between airports.
• Ski at February half term: this is peak week in the Alps. See our ski trip eSIM guide.
• Sunshine: our sun-seekers guide covers where is warm at Easter and October half term.
• Christmas 2027: if you are thinking about a market break, last year's Christmas markets dates show the usual pattern.
• Allow time at the border. The EU Entry/Exit System registers UK travellers on their first trip into the Schengen area, and queues are longest in holiday weeks. Our EES and ETIAS guide explains what to expect.

Mobile data for the family

Roaming fees on several phones add up over a week. You can give each phone a data-only travel eSIM, or buy one bigger plan and share it as a hotspot; our family eSIM or hotspot guide compares the two. On 27 October 2026, SimplySIM plans included:

Prices can change, so check the plan pages for Spain and the United States nearer the time. eSIMs are data only, so keep your UK SIM for calls and texts, and check every phone with our compatibility checker.

FAQs

When is February half term 2027?

In most of England it is Monday 15 to Friday 19 February 2027. In Wales it is 8 to 12 February. Scottish councils have shorter breaks between 8 and 19 February.

When are the Easter holidays 2027?

Easter Sunday is 28 March 2027. Most English councils we checked break up on Thursday 25 March and return on Monday 12 April. Leeds is later, 5 to 16 April. In Wales, schools are off from 22 March to 2 April.

When do the summer holidays 2027 start?

In England, mostly on 22 or 23 July 2027, with schools back in early September. Welsh schools finish on 20 July. In Scotland, Glasgow closes on 25 June, Edinburgh on 29 June and Aberdeen on 2 July.

When is October half term 2027?

Monday 25 to Friday 29 October 2027 in England and Wales for the councils we checked. Glasgow and Aberdeen break from 11 October, and Edinburgh's break is around 18 October.

When are the Christmas holidays 2027?

In England, schools break up on Friday 17 December 2027 and return on Tuesday 4 January 2028. In Scotland, schools break up on 20 or 21 December and return on 5 or 6 January.