School holidays in the UK: 2022 and 2023

Here is a list of school holidays in the UK in 2022 and 2023 plus information on different holiday childcare options for working parents.

School holidays in the UK 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.

This guide will cover:

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 2021–2022

School holiday in England

• Autumn break: 25–29 October 2021
• Christmas break: 24 December 2021 – 7 January 2022
• February break: 21 February – 25 February 2022
• Easter break: 11 April – 22nd April 2022
• May break: 30 May – 3 June 2022
• Summer break: 25 July – 31 August 2022

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

Holiday periods in Wales

• Autumn break: 25 October – 29 October 2021
• Christmas break: 20 December 2021 – 3rd January 2022
• February break: 21 February – 25 February 2022
• Easter break: 11 April – 22 April 2022
• May break: 25–29 May 2022
• Summer break: 25 July – 2 September 2022

School holiday in Scotland

• Autumn half term holidays (where applicable): two days between 13–27 September 2021
• Autumn holidays: one to two weeks between 4 October – 29 October 2021
• Winter half term holidays (where applicable): two to five days between 1 November – 29 November 2021
• Christmas break: two weeks between 22 December 2021 – 10 January 2022
• February break: one day to one week between 4 February – 28 February 2022
• Spring break: two weeks between 4 April – 22 April 2022
• May break (where applicable): one to four days between 29 April – 30 May 2022
• Summer break: six to seven weeks between 23 June – 22 August 2022

Holiday periods in Northern Ireland

• Autumn break: 28 October – 29 October 2021
• Christmas break: 23 December 2021 – 3 January 2022
• Mid-term: 17 February – 18 February 2022
• Easter break: 14 April – 22 April 2022
• Summer break: 1 July 2022 – 1 September

UK school holiday dates in 2022–2023

School holidays in England

• Autumn break: 24–28 October 2022
• Christmas break: 19 December 2022 – 2 January 2023
• February break: 13–17 February 2023
• Easter break: 3–14 April 2023
• May break: 29 May – 2 June 2023
• Summer break: 24 July – 1 September 2023

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

Holiday periods in Wales

• Autumn break: 31 October – 4 November 2022
• Christmas break: 23 December 2022 – 9 January 2023
• February break: 20 February – 24 February 2022
• Easter break: 31 March – 17 April 2023
• May break: 29 May – 2 June 2023
• Summer break: 24 July– 1 September 2023

School holidays in Scotland

• Autumn half term holidays (where applicable): two days between 12–26 September 2022
• Autumn holidays: one to two weeks between 7 October – 18 October 2022
• Winter half term holidays (where applicable): two to five days between 3 November – 28 November 2022
• Christmas break: two weeks between 23 December 2022 – 9 January 2023
• February break: one day to one week between 6 February – 21 February 2023
• Spring break: two weeks between 31 March – 17 April 2023
• May break (where applicable): one to four days between 28 April – 29 May 2023
• Summer break: six to seven weeks between 23 June – 16 August 2023

Holiday periods in Northern Ireland

• Autumn break: 31 October – 2 November 2022
• Christmas break: 22 December 2022 – 3 January 2023
• Mid-term: 16–17 February 2023
• Easter break: 6 April – 14 April 2023
• Summer break: 1 July 2023 – TBC

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.

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 school holidays in the UK, 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, because 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, which allows you to search for childcare options in your area;
• Family and Childcare Trust, where you can also search for childcare services and find out information on help with costs;
• Yell, where you can search for privately-run facilities such as summer camps and summer schools in different regions.