UK School Holiday Dates 2027: The Complete Family Guide (England, Scotland, Wales & NI)

By Rav · 2026-07-12 · Travel Smarter with Rav

If you're planning family trips for 2027, the school calendar decides almost everything — when you can go, and how much you'll pay. Here are the 2027 dates in one place, plus the money-saving bit most guides skip.

Quick note: exact dates vary slightly by local authority, so always confirm with your own school. The dates below are the widely-used standard dates for England (Scotland differs most — see the bottom).

England school holidays 2027 (typical dates)

• Spring half term: 15–19 February 2027
• Easter holidays: 26 March – 9 April 2027 (Good Friday 26 March, Easter Monday 29 March)
• May half term: 29 May – 6 June 2027
• Summer holidays: approx. 23 July – 31 August 2027 (around six weeks)
• October half term: 23–31 October 2027
• Christmas: 18 December 2027 – 3 January 2028

The cheapest school holidays to travel in 2027

Not all school holidays cost the same. The best value are February half term and October half term — shorter breaks, lower demand, and great for winter sun or a shoulder-season city break. The most expensive by far is the first week of the summer holidays (late July) and the days around Christmas.

If your dates are flexible even slightly, avoid the first Saturday of the summer holidays — statistically one of the priciest travel days of the entire year. Shifting just a few days into August often drops the price noticeably.

A word on term-time holidays

It's tempting — term-time prices can be 30–50% lower — but be aware that in England, headteachers can only authorise term-time absence in exceptional circumstances, and unauthorised absence can mean a fixed penalty notice (currently £80 per parent per child, rising if unpaid). For most families the smarter play is booking holiday-period trips early, before the cheap fare buckets sell out.

Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland

Scotland differs the most — summer often starts in late June and returns mid-August, and February/October breaks are staggered by council. Wales largely mirrors England (sometimes with an extra day around St David's Day). Northern Ireland has its own quirks including St Patrick's Day (17 March). Always check your council's published dates.

Plan your whole year in one go

The families who travel best treat the year as a puzzle — matching school breaks to the destinations that are actually good (and good value) at that time. Our free Where to Go When tool shows you the best-weather, best-value destinations for every month, and the Leave Maximiser turns your annual leave into the maximum time off around these dates.

One last thing: every one of these holidays, someone's booking travel — and there's commission built into every booking. Here's how you could earn from the trips you're already planning →

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