UK School Holidays 2024

school holiday

If one word could sum up being a parent, it’s planning. Planning what the kids are having for dinner, who can pick them up after school or whether you really can juggle all the clubs and classes they want to join! It’s an essential part of life – and never more so than when thinking about all UK school holidays in 2024.

What are the school holidays this year?
When are the Easter holidays?
When do kids go back to school?
What are the dates for half term in Scotland?
When are the kids off again?
How many bank holidays are there this year?

Whether your kids are in primary school or secondary school, their holidays will be at the same time (in the area that you live in).

It’s time to pin the facts down. To help, we’ve outlined the school term dates for 2024-25 below, handily separated by country. These give the outlying dates at the beginning and end of each school holiday and we’ve even thrown in a few extra ideas so you can start planning your next family adventure!

Your child’s school holiday should fall between these dates, but there are variations between counties and there may be additional teacher training days. We always advise checking with your school for the most accurate information!

England School Holiday Dates 2024

Holiday Start Date End Date
Spring Holidays 2024 12/02/24 16/02/24
Easter Holidays 2024 29/03/24 15/04/24
May Half Term 2024 06/05/24 07/05/24
Summer Holidays 2024 01/07/24 13/08/24
Autumn Holidays 2024 28/10/24 01/11/24
Christmas Holidays 23/12/24 03/01/25

Please note school holidays may differ depending on your council and area. Please check with your school beforehand.

Scotland School Holiday Dates 2024

Holiday Start Date End Date
Spring Holidays 2024 12/02/24 16/02/24
Easter Holidays 2024 29/03/24 15/04/24
May Half Term 2024 06/05/24 07/05/24
Summer Holidays 2024 01/07/24 13/08/24
Autumn Holidays 2024 14/10/24 18/10/24
Christmas Holidays 23/12/24 03/01/25

Please note school holidays may differ depending on your council and area. Please check with your school beforehand.

Wales School Holiday Dates 2024

Holiday Start Date End Date
Spring Holidays 2024 12/02/24 16/02/24
Easter Holidays 2024 25/03/24 05/04/24
May Half Term 2024 27/05/24 31/05/24
Summer Holidays 2024 23/07/24 30/08/24
Autumn Holidays 2024 28/10/24 01/11/24
Christmas Holidays 23/12/24 03/01/25

Please note school holidays may differ depending on your council and area. Please check with your school beforehand.

Northern Ireland School Holidays 2024

Holiday Start Date End Date
Spring Holidays 2024 15/02/24 16/02/24
Easter Holidays 2024 28/03/24 05/04/24
Summer Holidays 2024 01/07/24 01/09/24
Autumn Holidays 2024 31/10/24 01/11/24
Christmas Holidays 23/12/24 02/01/25

Please note school holidays may differ depending on your council and area. Please check with your school beforehand.

All UK School Holidays in 2025

England School Holidays 2025

Holiday Start Date End Date
Spring Holiday 2025 17/02/25 21/02/25
Easter Holidays 2025 11/04/25 28/04/25
May Half Term 2025 26/05/25 30/05/25
Summer Holidays 2025 21/07/25 01/09/25
Autumn Holidays 2025 27/10/25 31/10/25
Christmas Holidays 2025 19/12/23 05/01/26

Please note school holidays may differ depending on your council and area. Please check with your school beforehand.

Scotland School Holidays 2025

Holiday Start Date End Date
Spring Holiday 2025 17/02/25 20/02/25
Easter Holidays 2025 07/04/25 22/04/25
May Half Term 2025 05/05/25 06/05/25
Summer Holidays 2025 25/06/25 12/08/25
Autumn Holidays 2025 13/10/25 17/10/25
Christmas Holidays 2025 22/12/23 05/01/26

Please note school holidays may differ depending on your council and area. Please check with your school beforehand.

Wales School Holidays 2025

Holiday Start Date End Date
Spring Holiday 2025 17/02/25 21/02/25
Easter Holidays 2025 11/04/25 28/04/25
May Half Term 2025 26/05/25 30/05/25
Summer Holidays 2025 21/07/25 01/09/25
Autumn Holidays 2025 27/10/25 31/10/25
Christmas Holidays 2025 19/12/23 05/01/26

Please note school holidays may differ depending on your council and area. Please check with your school beforehand.

Northern Ireland School Holidays 2025

Holiday Start Date End Date
Spring Holidays 2025 13/02/25 14/02/25
Easter Holidays 2025 17/03/25 25/04/25
Summer Holidays 2025 01/07/25

Please note school holidays may differ depending on your council and area. Please check with your school beforehand.

Localised School Holidays 2024

If you’re looking for the school holidays 2024 near you, we have plenty of locations that may be of help! Whether you’re up north, down south or somewhere else in the UK!

North England School Holidays 2024

South West School Holidays 2024

Ideas for the School Holidays

We hope that’s helped you get your head around the UK school holidays and half-term dates!

Now all that’s left to do is start thinking about a few days out to stick in the calendar. There’s almost no end to what you could choose from with well over 8,000 attractions on our website alone! We promise we won’t judge if you can’t fit them all into one year!

Start by searching for things to do near you with all the latest and greatest attractions and ideas for fun family days out! Or check out some of our recommendations for the different times of year below.

February Half Term

February half-term is that lovely time of year when the woods seem to wake up after their winter sleep and you can finally go out and explore again! With so many woodland wandering, forest foraging and walks to embark on – who knows where you’ll end up! It’s the time to get back outside and discover something new.

There are loads of events during the February half term too! From dinosaur adventures and wildlife biome exploring to crafting paper planets at the ThinkTank Museum! With so many family-friendly activities around during the holidays, your kids won’t get bored. And if you can’t go out all the time, there are plenty of at home activities they can get stuck into.

How about visiting The Postal Museum? They have a whole range of family fun activities for the kids to get stuck into this half-term! From designing their own postal uniform to designing their own good deed patch in the Mini Makers exhibit

Easter Holidays

The days are getting warmer and slightly longer – which means there’s more fun to be had!

During the school holidays 2024 – like Easter – you’ll find tons of family fun throughout the UK! From Easter egg hunts, where kids have more chocolate than any kid could ever need (see if they agree!), to adorable animals, farm parks and outdoor fun! There are plenty of farms for kids and petting zoos too.

Enjoy some cool fresh air and dip your toes in the refreshing sea at a beach near you! Don’t forget to check out some of the best spring days out!

Summer Holidays

The UK summer holidays 2024 will be amazing this summer with all the new rides and attractions opening this year! From Jumanji Land at Chessington World of Adventures, to interactive and sensory heaven with SKYPARK at Butlins Skegness. It’s the perfect place to visit with your kids for the most epic family fun! You won’t struggle to find fun family activities during the summer holidays that’s for sure!

We suspect the summer holidays to be a scorcher this year, so why not visit one of many fab water parks, lidos or swimming pools – we all need a way to keep cool! Summer holidays are times for exploring, so why not visit some glorious gardens and pretty parks? Maybe even channel your inner navigator and see if you can make it through the maze! Of course, with the summer holidays in full swing, there’s no time like the present to visit some popular tourist attractions!

Or try an indoor water park if the weather is decidedly more British, we all know how the summer holidays go…

Make your kids’ school summer holidays 2024 an unforgettable one!

Halloween and Christmas

When the temp is slightly cooler and the autumn leaves have started to fall, you know what time of year it is…almost Halloween! Take the kids pumpkin picking, embark on a (slightly) spooky Halloween trail or get crafty with Halloween arts or colouring!

Halloween and Christmas are two of the most exciting times of the year, and for good reason too! It gets the kids excited, busy with crafts and getting out and about to all the cool Halloween or Christmas events this year.

For Christmas, it’s time to start planning those Elf of the Shlef ideas (we know how difficult it can be!), get ahead with Christmas stocking fillers, and journey through a world of light and laughter with some luminescent light trails! There’s so much to do at Christmas, will you have time for all of it?!

School Holiday FAQs

Are schools open on a bank holiday?

No – schools are closed on a bank holiday. The Easter bank holidays – Good Friday on 29th March 2024 and Easter Monday on 1st April 2024 – usually fall within the Easter school holidays.

Don’t forget about the May bank holidays too! Starting off with 6th May and 27th for the late May bank holiday. These dates tend to fall in the May half-term – but this varies by country though, so please check the above.

How many weeks of holiday do schools have?

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

What are the school holidays for 2024?

The six holidays are February half-term, Easter (March/April), May half-term, Summer, October half-term 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!

Now you know when all UK school holidays 2024 are, you can get started on your next family adventure! Head over to the home page to search for the best days out with the kids nearby, using your town or postcode. Here’s to some wonderful school holidays this year!

Things to do in the summer holidays | Things to do in autumn | Things to do for Christmas | Things to do this half term | Things to do for Easter | Things to do this bank holiday

More topics from our blog you might like:

40 homeschooling activities| Easy science experiments for kids | Top 10 best UK museums | Activities to do on rainy days

VIP Pass - 2 for 1 offer