School holidays in the UK: 2023 and 2024

School holidays in the United Kingdom vary both between UK countries and between the regional local authorities. If you are a parent living in the UK, check with your child’s school or with your local authority so that you know the exact dates to make plans. UK school calendars are split into three terms, with most schools having additional half-term breaks in the middle of each term, meaning that children generally get six breaks per school year.

To find out when your children are off school, read on to learn more about the following:

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School holidays in the UK

School holidays in the UK are set by the regional local authorities (also called local councils), who publish term dates on their websites. Schools in England and Wales usually have two-week holidays for Christmas and Easter, a break of around six weeks for summer, and week-long breaks halfway through each of the three terms.

Scottish schools have the same number of breaks, with the half-term breaks often shorter or longer (ranging from a long weekend to two weeks). Schools in Northern Ireland have five annual holidays. They have shorter half-term breaks and miss out the mid-term break in the summer term, but usually have an extra two weeks off during the summer.

In general, families in the UK spend school holiday time getting together to celebrate festive holidays such as Christmas in the UK, going on family vacations or day trips, or planning activities for kids. School holidays may also coincide with important UK festivals.

UK school holiday dates in 2023–2024

School holiday in England

Dates might vary from council to council – check with your school.

Holiday periods in Wales

School holiday in Scotland

Holiday periods in Northern Ireland

UK school holiday dates in 2024–2025

School holidays in England

Dates might vary from council to council – check with your school.

Holiday periods in Wales

School holidays in Scotland

Holiday periods in Northern Ireland

Additional holidays and days off

Schools in the UK also close for a number of public holidays and bank holidays throughout the year. Some of these apply to all four countries, while each country also has its own holiday dates. Each school may also have additional dates off for staff training or pupil book days and may grant days off for pupils of certain faiths to observe religious holidays.

Living

Childcare in the UK

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In general, you can find out details of school-specific days off from your local school or by visiting the school website. Meanwhile, many primary and secondary schools in the UK publish calendars online to keep parents and students informed.

Childcare during school holidays in the UK

If you are a working parent during the UK school holidays, you may need to look into childcare provision if you don’t have relatives or friends to keep an eye on the kids. Most parts of the UK will have holiday schemes or a program of activities for various age groups, although public out-of-hours provision for both primary and secondary school children has been cut back over the last decade.

Provision varies across regions. The best place to start is by asking your school what is going on in your area, as most schools can provide information on clubs, holiday camps, or other activities. Some providers also run holiday activities out of hours.

Each council should have a Family Information Service that can tell you what’s available locally, a Youth Service that will normally run holiday activity programs, and a network of Children’s Centers that may have activities for primary school children.

Councils can often also provide information on what privately run provision is available in your area. You can also find details of all local councils in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland from the British government.

There are other useful resources regarding childcare during school holidays, such as:

• Childcare.co.uk: Allows you to search for childcare options in your area
• Family and Childcare Trust: Search for childcare services and find out information on help with costs
• Yell: Search for privately-run facilities such as summer camps and summer schools in different regions