Three terms, three mid-term breaks
Pupils in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland follow a three-term structure:
- Autumn term: early September to mid-December
- Spring term: early January to late March or early April
- Summer term: mid-April to mid or late July
A week-long break sits inside each term. These fall in late October (autumn), mid-February (spring) and late May or early June (summer, sometimes called the Whitsun break).
Total holiday allowance across the year:
- Summer: 6 weeks
- Christmas: 2 weeks
- Easter: 2 weeks
- Each mid-term break: 1 week
Why dates shift between council areas
Term dates are not set by the Department for Education in England, the Welsh Government, the Scottish Government or the Northern Ireland Executive. Each local authority publishes its own calendar. Academies and multi-academy trusts can also set their own dates, though most follow the local authority pattern.
A family moving from one council area to another can find the autumn break falling in a different week. The same is true for Easter holidays: one authority may finish on the Friday before Easter while a neighbouring authority finishes the Thursday before.
Typical term dates 2026/2027
The table below shows the most common pattern. Check your council's website for exact dates.
| Term | Approximate start | Approximate end |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn 2026 | Monday 7 September 2026 | Friday 18 December 2026 |
| Spring 2027 | Tuesday 5 January 2027 | Friday 26 March 2027 (or Friday 1 April 2027, depending on Easter) |
| Summer 2027 | Monday 12 April 2027 (or Monday 19 April 2027) | Friday 23 July 2027 |
Easter 2027: Good Friday falls on 26 March 2027, Easter Monday on 29 March 2027. Establishments that take a two-week Easter break often finish the spring term on Friday 1 April 2027 and return on Monday 18 April 2027.
Mid-term break dates
| Break | Typical week |
|---|---|
| Autumn 2026 | Monday 26 October 2026, Friday 29 October 2026 |
| Spring 2027 | Monday 15 February 2027, Friday 19 February 2027 |
| Summer 2027 | Monday 31 May 2027, Friday 4 June 2027 |
The autumn break in 2026 runs from 26 October to 29 October. Clocks go back on Sunday 25 October 2026 at 02:00 BST, meaning the break starts the very next day. Children get an extra hour in bed on the Sunday before it begins.
Does the October half-term always start after the clocks go back?
In most years, yes. The last Sunday of October is fixed for the end of British Summer Time, and the break is traditionally the week containing the last Monday of the month. The two events almost always land in the same weekend.
In 2026:
- Clock change: Sunday 25 October 2026, 02:00 BST → 01:00 GMT
- Break begins: Monday 26 October 2026
The pattern repeats in 2027. Clocks go back on Sunday 31 October 2027. The autumn half-term that year typically starts Monday 25 October 2027, the week before. The alignment is not guaranteed every single year, but it holds for the majority of local authorities.
Finding your local authority's exact dates
- Find your council: go to gov.uk/find-your-local-council.
- Search for "term dates" or "school holidays": most councils publish a PDF covering the next two academic years.
- Check the establishment's own website: academies and free schools may post different dates.
- Use the government's term-date finder: the Department for Education publishes a searchable database of term dates for England at gov.uk/school-terms.
For Scotland, term dates are set by each of the 32 council areas. The Scottish Government does not maintain a centralised database; check your council's website. The same applies in Wales (22 local authorities) and Northern Ireland (5 education authorities).