School terms 2024: Holiday and term dates across the country

The summer term has arrived, and we have the important school holiday dates you need for the remainder of the year. 

With the school summer term upon us, it's time to start thinking about the best and worst sun creams for the warmer days, or for those jetting off abroad for their summer holidays. Some parents might be looking to stock up on outdoor toys for summer, in the hopes of plenty of garden time during the long holiday. 

If the hot weather arrives in abundance, you'll want to know the top tips for how to keep your house cool in summer. For many, the summer term signals times of big change, with some pupils facing the big change of secondary school in September, and some parents seeing their young children into their first day of reception when the new school year begins.

Among the many things to remember during this time - May fair contributions and collections for teachers - having the right term dates in your diary is one less thing to worry about. With this in mind, we've shared the all-important back-to-school dates to note down, and upcoming school holiday term dates for the start of the academic year.

When is the May half-term?

The next school holiday is summer half term, which in England, Wales and and Northern Ireland, falls on Monday 27th May - Friday 31st May.

With the latest updates on school fines, parents should make themselves aware of the potential repercussions of taking children out of school outside of the holidays. The Government will be cracking down with increased fines and new legislation could see an upturn in parents being prosecuted or sent to prison for unauthorised absences.  

Term dates can also vary from school to school, so it's advised to check dates with your local council just to be safe. You can do this by putting your postcode into the gov.uk website, or if you live in Scotland you will need to visit mygov.scot. Those in Northern Ireland can find term dates via the Department of Education website.

School term dates 2024

Term dates in England:

• Summer Half-term: Monday 27th May - Friday 31st May
• Summer holiday: Tuesday 23rd July - Friday 1st September
• Autumn Half-term: Monday 28th October - Friday 1st November 
• Christmas holiday: Monday 23rd December - Friday January 3rd, 2025 

Check individual school term dates in England here.

Term dates in Wales:

• Summer Half-term: Monday 27th May - Friday 31st May
• Summer holiday: Tuesday 23rd July - Friday 1st September
• Autumn Half-term: Monday 28th October - Friday 1st November 
• Christmas holiday: Monday 23rd December - Friday January 3rd, 2025 

Check individual school term dates in Wales here.

Term dates in Scotland:

• Summer holiday: Friday June 28th - Friday August 12th
• October Half-term: Monday 14th October - Friday 25th October
• Christmas holidays: Monday 23rd December - Friday January 3rd, 2025

Check individual school term dates in Scotland here.

Term dates in Northern Ireland:

• Summer Half-term: Monday 27th May - Friday 31st May
• Summer holiday: Tuesday 23rd July
• Autumn Half-term: Monday 28th October - Friday 1st November 
• Christmas holiday: Monday 23rd December - Friday January 3rd, 2025 

Check individual school term dates in Northern Ireland here.

How long is the summer break in the UK?

State schools in the UK typically take a six-week summer holiday, and this is the case in 2024 too. 

In the past, the summer holidays have on occasion been seven weeks long. This was most recently the case in 2020 when the fact that it was a leap year and the tradition of starting the new term on a Monday meant pupils had an extra week off. 

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You might also be interested to find out about back to school traditions or what these parents are looking forward to about their kids going back to school. We've got a back to school shopping guide too and even a round-up of the best back to school jokes.