If you're trying to pin down half-term dates for 2027 to 2028, the first thing to know is that there isn't one national calendar to look at. Each local authority (LA) in England and Wales sets its own dates for the schools it maintains, Scotland runs on a completely different system, and academies and independents can diverge from the LA calendar on top of all that. The gov.uk school term and holiday dates guidance sets out the local-authority framework if you want the official version.
The short version 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 May half-term lines up almost universally with the Spring Bank Holiday on Monday 29 May 2028.
This guide walks through all three half-term weeks across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, plus the two-week pattern most independent schools use. Every specific date below is typical rather than confirmed, so check it against your LA's published 2027 to 2028 calendar before booking anything you can't cancel.
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 a year, one in each 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 and go back on Monday 1 November 2027. A handful take two weeks instead; Nottinghamshire has proposed a two-week break running from 18 October 2027.
The 25 October week is the dominant one across England and Wales. London boroughs usually line up here, along with much of the South East, East of England, South West, the Midlands and the North (Stockport, North Tyneside and councils like them publish 25 October 2027 for their 2027 to 2028 calendar).
A smaller number of LAs stagger half-term, so if your council doesn't match 25 October, check its published 2027 to 2028 calendar before you book anything. If you've got 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 around the overlap.
February half-term 2028
In England, February half-term is mostly the week commencing Monday 14 February 2028, though some LAs and academies pick the other week. Welsh LAs are fully aligned on this one: all 22 councils take the week commencing 21 February 2028.
The February split is where parents get caught out on travel bookings. Tour operators quietly treat both weeks as "half-term" and plenty of families end up paying peak prices for a week their own child is still at school. Check your LA's week properly before booking anything.
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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 stretch this into a longer break, and academies occasionally shift by a day, but the week itself is the same. If you've only got one half-term you can plan around with any confidence, it's this one.
Scotland and Northern Ireland
The Scottish and Northern Irish patterns are properly different, not just a tweak of the English calendar.
In Scotland, the October break (known as the Tattie Holidays in some LAs) is usually 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" rather than a full week. Scottish schools don't have a May half-term at all; they break up for summer earlier, in late June, instead.
Northern Ireland is different again. October half-term there is usually a two-day Halloween break (likely around Thursday 28 and Friday 29 October 2027) rather than a full week, and the spring half-term is also usually shorter. 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 the only properly reliable source is your child's own school.
Independent schools and academies
Most independent 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 a lot between schools, so the only reliable source is each school's own calendar.
Academies are state-funded but can set their own term dates. In practice a lot of the big trusts align with their LA, but some don't. If your child is at an academy, don't assume the LA half-term applies, check the school's website directly.
Planning around half-term
Three practical things worth doing before each half-term.
The first is to confirm the week early. Your school's website lists half-term dates in September for the year ahead, so drop them in your family calendar as soon as they're published. For the full year of term dates, our UK school term dates 2027 to 2028 guide walks through everything.
The second is to book travel well ahead. Half-term flights, trains and family-friendly hotels all push prices up 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.
The third is 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, and 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.
