Scotland, Wales, NI
Scottish school term dates 2026-27, council by council
Scotland runs its own school year, earlier than England’s, and every council fixes its own in-service days.
Scottish schools start the year in mid-August and finish at the end of June, about five weeks ahead of England. Each of the 32 councils sets its own dates: on the 7 Scottish councils of this site, pupils went back between 12 August 2026 and 19 August 2026 and the year ends between 25 June 2027 and 2 July 2027. Instead of three half terms, the year has an October holiday of one or two weeks, two weeks at Christmas, a February mid-term of a few days, a spring holiday around Easter and local holidays such as a September weekend Monday or a May Day holiday. In-service days, when pupils stay at home, are fixed by the council and shown on its calendar, so the checker below includes them. Scotland has no penalty notice for term-time holidays, but most are recorded as unauthorised absence.
Dates read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How the dates are checked
The Scottish councils side by side
| Council | Pupils back | October | February | Spring | Last day | In-service days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeenshire | 19 August 2026 | 12 to 23 October 2026 | 8 February 2027 | 26 March to 9 April 2027 | 1 July 2027 | 5 |
| Edinburgh | 12 August 2026 | 12 to 16 October 2026 | 15 to 19 February 2027 | 5 to 19 April 2027 | 29 June 2027 | 5 |
| Fife | 19 August 2026 | 12 to 23 October 2026 | 11 to 12 February 2027 | 26 March to 9 April 2027 | 2 July 2027 | 5 |
| Glasgow | 12 August 2026 | 12 to 16 October 2026 | 15 to 16 February 2027 | 5 to 16 April 2027 | 25 June 2027 | 5 |
| Highland | 19 August 2026 | 12 to 23 October 2026 | 15 to 16 February 2027 | 26 March to 9 April 2027 | 1 July 2027 | 5 |
| North Lanarkshire | 12 August 2026 | 12 to 16 October 2026 | 15 to 16 February 2027 | 5 to 16 April 2027 | 25 June 2027 | 5 |
| South Lanarkshire | 13 August 2026 | 12 to 16 October 2026 | 15 to 16 February 2027 | 5 to 16 April 2027 | 25 June 2027 | 5 |
How a Scottish school year is built
On the calendars we hold, Scottish pupils have between 190 and 192 school days in 2026-27 once in-service days and local holidays are taken out, in a year that starts in the second or third week of August. The October holiday, Christmas and the spring holiday then cut it into stretches of seven to eleven weeks, with shorter breaks for local holidays and the February mid-term. Each council consults head teachers and, often, its neighbours, and publishes the dates one or two years ahead, with the in-service days and local holidays included. That makes the council calendar more complete than in England, where schools pick their own training days.
Local and public holidays
Scottish bank holidays do not close schools by themselves. Councils publish their own list: Good Friday and Easter Monday sit inside or next to the spring holiday, a May Day holiday is common, and many councils keep a September weekend or a local holiday tied to a town's own calendar. St Andrew's Day is a Scottish bank holiday but a council decides whether its schools close. On this site, the checker uses only the holidays each council lists for its schools.
Moving between Scotland and England
A child who moves from England to Scotland in the summer can lose up to five weeks of holiday, because Scottish schools return in mid-August; a move the other way gives a very long summer. Families with children on both sides of the border, around Carlisle and the Borders for instance, can line up a Scottish and an English council with the comparison below.