Website of the UK government

Please note that this website has a UK government accesskeys system.

Public services all in one place

Main menu

Parents

Parents

Term dates and school holidays

The dates for school terms and holidays are decided by the local authority or the governing body of a school, or by the school itself for independent schools. It is not normally acceptable to take your child out of school for family holidays during term time.

Find out term dates for schools near you

You can find out school term and holiday dates online. Who sets them depends on the type of school your child attends.

Community and voluntary controlled schools

Term dates and holidays for community and voluntary controlled schools are set by the local authority. For most schools, the current school year is divided into three terms. However, some local authorities have introduced a year with six terms, each of similar length (known as the 'Standard School Year').

The link below lets you type in your postcode, and then takes you to information about term dates on your local authority's website.

Other types of state schools

For other types of publicly-funded schools, including:

  • foundation schools
  • voluntary aided schools
  • academies
  • city technology colleges
  • city colleges for the technology of the arts

the dates are set by the governing body. You can find these schools' websites or contact details by following the link below.

Independent schools

Independent schools set term and holiday dates themselves. The Independent Schools Council's website has a list of independent schools and their contact details.

Holidays during term time

You should not normally take your child on holiday in term time as it can be disruptive both to your child's education and to the school.

Holidays in term time can only be agreed by the headteacher or someone with appropriate authority. Schools can use their discretion to grant up to 10 days’ authorised absence in a school year if:

  • the parent the child normally lives with applies to the school in advance of the holiday

and

  • there are special reasons for the holiday

Schools can only agree to more than 10 school days’ absence in any school year in exceptional circumstances.

Schools must judge each holiday request on a case by case basis. They can take into consideration:

  • the time of year for the proposed trip
  • if it's near any exam dates
  • your child's overall attendance pattern
  • any holidays already taken in the school year
  • the age and stage of education of your child
  • your wishes
  • the ability of your child to catch up the work that they have missed
  • the reason why you are taking the time off during term time

Schools should not take into consideration:

  • availability of cheap holidays
  • availability of desired accommodation
  • poor weather experienced in school holiday periods
  • overlap with the beginning or end of term

More useful links

In this section...

Additional links

Access keys