Half Term Dates 2026/2027: Every UK Region Compared
My School Agent | 14 August 2026 · Updated 14 August 2026
We booked a caravan for the October half term two years running before I worked out why it kept going wrong. My sister-in-law lives twenty minutes over the Scottish border. Her kids were off a full week before mine were. By the time my two finished school, hers were already back and every half-decent cottage within two hours was booked solid.
Half term isn't one date. It's not even close. Here's what actually happens across the UK, and how to stop getting caught out by it.
Why Half Term Dates Are Different Everywhere
There is no single "half term" set by the government. In England and Wales, local authorities and academy trusts each set their own dates. Scotland runs an entirely different school calendar. Northern Ireland has its own pattern again. The result: four nations, dozens of local variations, and no single place that lists them all.
Typical Half Term Windows for 2026/2027
England
- Autumn half term: Monday 26 October – Friday 30 October 2026
- Spring half term: Monday 15 February – Friday 19 February 2027
- Summer half term: Monday 31 May – Friday 4 June 2027
Wales
Broadly the same weeks as England, though individual councils can shift by a few days. Check your local authority's published calendar rather than assuming it matches England exactly.
Scotland
- October week: Usually the second week of October, roughly two weeks earlier than England's autumn half term
- February week: Mid-February, similar timing to England but council-specific
- Scotland also has a longer break at Easter (typically two full weeks) rather than a single half-term week
Northern Ireland
Follows a broadly similar pattern to England and Wales but with its own bank holidays factored in, including St Patrick's Day (17 March) and the Twelfth of July, both of which shift term structure around them.
Does Half Term Length Ever Change?
Most half terms are one week. But some schools, particularly academies with a longer autumn term, add an extra day either side. A small number of schools attach an INSET day to the Friday before or Monday after, effectively giving families a nine-day break instead of seven. Always check your specific school's calendar, not just the regional pattern.
Why This Catches Cross-Border Families Out
If you have family in a different nation, or your children attend schools in different local authorities, mismatched half terms are a real planning headache. The most common trip-ups:
- Booking childcare or holidays based on last year's dates instead of checking the current year
- Assuming an academy follows the local council's dates (many don't)
- Missing that Scotland's October week and England's half term rarely land on the same days
- Not accounting for an INSET day tacked onto either end of the official week
Where to Find Your Exact Dates
Skip the general searches. Go straight to your school's own published calendar, usually under "Key Dates" or "Term Dates" on their website, or in the autumn newsletter. Academy trusts publish their own calendars separately from the local authority. If you can't find it, ask the school office directly. They'll know.
How to Stop Re-Checking This Every Half Term
Once you've found the right dates, the real problem is remembering them six months later when you actually want to book something. That's the bit I kept getting wrong. Now My School Agent reads the term dates straight out of our school's newsletters and puts every half term, INSET day and holiday into one calendar automatically, so I'm not hunting for a PDF on the school website every October.
If you're juggling schools across different authorities or nations, it's worth getting the actual dates confirmed in writing (or in an app) well before you book anything. Caravans, especially, do not hold half-term prices for indecisive parents.