UK Half-Term Dates 2026/2027

Half-term dates in England are set individually by each local council and school, not centrally — so the exact dates can vary by a few days depending on where you live, and can differ further for academies and private schools that set their own calendars. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each set their own school calendars independently, and their half-term dates often differ noticeably from England, especially in Scotland. The dates on this page are a typical guide for England only. For the exact dates that apply to your child, always check with your local council or your school directly — see our school term dates guide for more detail on how term dates are set across the UK.

Education is devolved in the UK, so England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each set their own school calendar. Within England, local authorities have the power to set term and holiday dates for community schools, while academies, free schools and private schools can set their own dates independently. This means two schools in neighbouring towns — or even the same town — can have half-term weeks that start a few days apart. The May half-term usually lines up with the late May bank holiday, which is a UK-wide public holiday — see our UK bank holidays page for the exact date and a live countdown.