There is no national UK half-term calendar. Each local authority (LA) in England and Wales sets its own dates for the schools it maintains; Scotland uses a different system altogether; and academies and independents can diverge from the LA calendar on top of that. See gov.uk's school term and holiday dates guidance for the local-authority framework. The headline for 2027 to 2028: October half-term is the week commencing 25 October almost everywhere, February half-term is mostly 14 February in England and 21 February in Wales, and the May half-term lines up almost universally with the Spring Bank Holiday on Monday 29 May 2028.
This guide covers all three half-term weeks across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, plus the two-week pattern most independent schools use. All specific dates below are typical and should be verified against each LA's published 2027 to 2028 calendar at write time.
This article was last checked against official sources on **14 October 2026**. Specifications and admissions wording change often, cross-check each named source before relying on specific detail.
Specific dates in this article are typical, not confirmed. Check your own LA or school's 2027 to 2028 calendar at gov.uk's term dates finder before booking travel.
The three half-term weeks at a glance
Most English and Welsh maintained schools take three half-term breaks per school year, one per term.
| Half-term | Typical week (2027-28) | Variation |
|---|---|---|
| October half-term (autumn) | w/c Monday 25 October 2027 | A few LAs, such as Nottinghamshire (proposed calendar), may take two weeks from 18 October 2027 |
| February half-term (spring) | w/c Monday 14 or 21 February 2028 | Mostly 14 February in England; all Welsh councils take 21 February |
| May half-term (summer) | w/c Monday 29 May 2028 | Near-universal, aligns with Spring Bank Holiday |
October half-term 2027
Most English and Welsh LAs close for the week commencing Monday 25 October 2027 (back on Monday 1 November 2027). A few LAs may take two weeks; Nottinghamshire has proposed a two-week break from 18 October 2027.
Likely w/c 25 October 2027: this is the dominant week across England and Wales. London boroughs typically align here, along with much of the South East, East of England, South West, the Midlands and the North (Stockport, North Tyneside and similar councils publish 25 October 2027 for their 2027 to 2028 calendar).
A smaller number of LAs stagger half-term, so if your council doesn't line up with 25 October, check its published 2027 to 2028 calendar for exact dates before booking anything. If you have children at schools under different LAs, or an academy that diverges from its LA, this is the half-term where mismatches cause the most friction. Confirm both calendars in September so you can plan work leave accordingly.
February half-term 2028
In England, February half-term is mostly the week commencing Monday 14 February 2028, though some LAs and academies differ. Welsh LAs are fully aligned: all 22 councils take the week commencing 21 February 2028.
The February split is a well-known cause of travel-price confusion. Tour operators pitch two separate "half-term" weeks, and many families end up paying peak prices in a week their own child is still at school. Confirm your own LA's week before booking.
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May half-term 2028
This is the easy one. May half-term lines up almost universally with the Spring Bank Holiday, which falls on Monday 29 May 2028. Virtually all English and Welsh LAs close for the week commencing 29 May 2028 and return on Monday 5 June 2028.
Independent schools often extend this to a longer break; academies occasionally stagger by a day, but the week itself is the same. If you only have one half-term to plan around with any confidence, this is it.
Scotland and Northern Ireland
The Scottish and Northern Irish patterns are different, not just a tweak of the English calendar.
Scotland. The October break (known as the Tattie Holidays in some LAs) is typically one or two weeks mid-October, with exact dates set council by council. Edinburgh, Glasgow, Fife, Aberdeen and the Highlands all publish their 2027 to 2028 calendars separately. The February break is usually a Monday and Tuesday in mid-February, a two-day "mid-term", not a full week. Scottish schools do not have a May half-term; they break up for summer earlier (late June) instead.
Northern Ireland. October half-term is usually a two-day Halloween break (likely around Thursday 28 and Friday 29 October 2027), not a full week. The spring half-term is also usually truncated. The summer holiday starts earlier, around 1 July (Department of Education NI). The Department of Education publishes recommended dates, but individual schools have some discretion, so check your child's school directly.
Independent schools and academies
Independent schools. Most private schools take a two-week October half-term and often a two-week February half-term rather than the single week most LAs run. Specific dates vary significantly between schools, so the only reliable source is each school's own calendar.
Academies. State-funded but able to set their own dates. In practice many large trusts align with the LA, but some diverge. If your child is at an academy, do not assume the LA half-term applies, check the school's own website.
Planning around half-term
Three practical things worth doing before each half-term:
Confirm the week early. Your school's website lists half-term dates in September for the year ahead. Save them to your family calendar as soon as they are published. For the wider pattern, our UK school term dates 2027 to 2028 guide walks through the full year.
Book travel well ahead. Half-term flights, trains and family-friendly hotels push prices by a lot. Booking three or more months ahead usually saves money, and the February split in particular can occasionally let you book the "other" week at off-peak prices if your LA is on the opposite calendar.
Secure holiday-club places. Local council schemes and private providers (sports camps, forest schools, drama) tend to open bookings 4 to 8 weeks before each break. The popular ones close waitlists quickly.
If back-to-school stress tends to spike for your child around half-term returns, our back-to-school anxiety parent's guide covers how to ease the transition.
