After lockdown and homeschooling, many parents breathed a sigh of relief when the start of term rolled around. However, as the morning school run starts to drag, they may be wondering when the next UK school holiday is.
Maybe you are looking for a break from making sure there is a clean school jumper to hand each day. Or maybe you are looking to get away during term time in order to avoid families on their holidays. Either way, we have you covered. Here is when you can expect school holidays in the UK.
UK school holidays
It’s important to note that different regions across the UK have slightly differing dates for school holidays. Scotland has quite different term dates. To find out more, take a look at the mygov.scot website.
However, for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, school holidays are typically only different by a week or two. They tend to fall around the same time of year in all three countries. To check the exact dates for your area, you can enter your postcode on the gov.uk website.
The academic year runs from September to August. It is broken up by terms: autumn, spring and summer. During each term, you can expect a half-term holiday, which is typically a week long.
Here is a rough guide of when school holidays fall in the UK:
Autumn term
- Term starts in early September.
- The half-term break is typically around the end of October. This year, for most areas, it is from Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October.
- Term ends in December. Exact dates will differ, but as a rough guide, in 2020/21 it is likely to be around Friday 18 December.
Spring term
- Term starts in early January, typically on the Monday after New Year. So in 2020/21 this would be Monday 4 January 2021.
- The half-term break is usually in mid-February, but exact dates will depend on your area. You can expect it to be around 15 February to 19 February in 2021.
- The end of the spring term differs each year depending on when Easter falls. For the 2020/21 academic year, Good Friday falls on Friday 2 April, so a lot of schools will most likely break up on Thursday 1st April.
Summer term
- Term starts following the two week Easter holiday. In 2021, this will be around 19 April for most areas.
- The half-term break tends to fall around the time of the late May bank holiday. In 2020/21, expect the summer half-term holiday to be around 31 May to 4 June.
- The exact date of the end of summer term is likely to differ. Some schools prefer to end on a Friday, while others are happy to finish mid-week. For my local area, the end of the summer term is set for Friday 23rd July. But this would definitely be one to check in your own area.
What about private schools?
Private schools tend to set their own term dates, and typically have longer holidays than state schools.
If your child attends private school, you will need to check with the office there as to what the term dates are. Generally though, private school children break up earlier for the Christmas holidays, Easter holidays and Summer holidays.
Some private schools also have a two-week half-term holiday planned in the autumn term.
What are inset days?
Inset days are also known as teacher training days. Teachers in state schools are required to take five inset days during the academic year. But it is down to the local educational authority and the school as to when these are scheduled.
You will typically find them tacked onto existing school holidays. So for example, your child may go back after half term a day later. However, some schools will have inset days on a Monday or Friday in the middle of a term. This sometimes helps families get away for a short break outside of the traditional UK school holidays.
Takeaway
This year is a bit different in terms of travel. So definitely check the latest travel advice before booking anything. But if you are planning on going away during the school holidays, have you thought about using a travel credit card? This could save you money on fees that you may be charged for using your card abroad.
Or have you considered a prepaid card which has foreign currency exchange, like the Revolut prepaid card? This can help you keep your holiday spending separate, as well as give you a competitive rate on any given currency.
