School Holidays 2019 / 2020 UK Dates (When Do Schools Break Up?)

School term and holiday dates vary great across the UK.

Travel costs also vary greatly so they have a huge impact on when you decide to go away and how much everything costs.

So we’ve put together this guide to help you plan your holidays and days out.

Please note that these are purely guidelines and differences can occur depending on your council.

For example, no English school will take the entire eight-week time span given below for their 2019 summer holidays, however, we’ve provided the full date range for your information. 

Always check with your local council and school for specific dates.

You can also find out holiday dates from your local council by entering your postcode into this government search tool.

School Holidays England 2019 / 2020

Holiday Start Date End Date Week
Summer Holidays 2019 15/7/2019 06/9/2019 29-36
October Half Term 2019 21/10/2019 1/11/2019 43-44
Christmas Holidays 2019 23/12/2019 3/1/2020 52-1
February Half Term 2020 17/2/2020 28/2/2020 8-9
Easter Holidays 2020 6/4/2020 17/4/2020 15-16
May Half Term 2020 25/5/2020 29/5/2020 29-35
Summer Holidays 2020 15/7/2020 1/9/2020 29-35
October Half Term 2020 19/10/2020 30/10/2020 43-44
Christmas Holidays 2020 21/12/2020 1/1/2020 52-1

School Holidays Northern Ireland 2019 / 2020

Holiday Start Date End Date Week
Summer Holiday 2019 1/7/2019 30/8/2019 27-35
Halloween 2019 31/10/2019 1/11/2019 44
Christmas Holidays 2019 23/12/2019 3/1/2020 52-1
Easter Holidays 2020 9/4/2020 17/4/2020 15-16
Summer Holidays 2020 1/7/2020 28/8/2020 27-35

School Holidays Scotland 2019 / 2020

Holiday Start Date End Date Week
Summer Holidays 2019 1/7/2019 20/8/2019 27-33
Autumn/Mid Term Break 2019 7/10/2019 25/10/2019 41-42-43
Christmas Holiday 2019 23/12/2019 3/1/2020 52-1

School Holidays Wales 2019 / 2020

Holiday Start Date End Date Week
Summer Holidays 2019 22/7/2019 30/08/2019 30-35
Autumn Break 2019 28/10/2019 1/11/2019 44
Christmas Holidays 2019 23/12/2019 3/1/2020 52-1
Spring Half Term 2020 17/2/2019 28/2/2020 8-9
Easter Holidays 2020 6/4/2020 17/4/2020 15-16
Summer Half Term 2020 25/5/2020 29/5/2020 22
Summer Holidays 2020 21/7/2020 28/8/2020 30-35

School Holiday FAQs

Are schools open on a bank holiday?
No – schools are closed on bank holidays.

The Easter bank holidays (10th April and 13th April) fall within the Easter school holidays and one of either May bank holidays (8th May and 25th May) falls into the May half term – this varies by country though, so please check the above.

How many school holidays are there in a year?
There are six school holidays in the calendar year of 2019/20.

How many weeks holiday do schools have?
Schools have around 13 weeks of holiday each year, but this does vary by area and school so please check above or contact your school for the most accurate and up to date information for your kids.

What are the school holidays for 2019/20?
The six holidays are: February, May, Easter (March/April), Summer, October and Christmas (December).

What is half term?
Half term is the short break in the middle of the school term (semester) which usually consists of one week, rather than the longer breaks at the end of each term.

There are half term breaks in February, May and October.

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Dominic Sawyer

Dominic has been writing on the web since 2000. He has a BSc (Hons) degree in Biological Sciences from Nottingham University and his research thesis has been published in journals. With a foundation in painstaking research he found his passion for travel and has worked in the sector for 20 years. He has written a book about travel and has extended his expertise to consumer research across the travel and leisure sector.