UK School Holidays Calendar 2024/25

A lot goes into planning the perfect trip for your family! One of the most important aspects is finding out what dates will be best suited for you and your children. Another thing is booking early as it often means that you get cheaper rates and better prices than if you were to book the week before. So we’ve conveniently provided you with the UK school holidays dates your children will be off next year so you don’t accidentally book the wrong dates. Alternatively, you might actually be trying to avoid school holiday season and thus, you can use this as a guide to book a quieter time!

However please do treat these as a guideline only because depending on your council, these may vary. Different councils may have a different time period however, we have tried to provide the dates that the potential holidays can fall in. So, do check your child’s school calendar to ensure you have the correct dates for your child’s school.

Also, please note that for the dates listed, we’ve calculated using the school days; so Mondays-Fridays. It does not include weekends.

English School Holidays 2024/25

Northern Ireland Holidays 2024/25

School Holidays Scotland 2024/25

School Holidays Wales 2024/25

We hope these dates help you plan your holidays better! With a lot of you going away with young children, check out our tips on how to keep the little ones entertained during a long journey. Alternatively, if you want some inspiration on where to go, we’ve written on why Croatia is a great place for family holidays.

European School Holidays

It can be easy to focus on the UK school holiday dates when planning your family holidays (or, deciding to avoid them if you have that flexibility!), but it’s worth taking note of some of the dates in popular holiday destinations in Europe. If you can avoid a full on clash, you might be able to save money on accommodation and activities.

Spain

Spain does not have a half term in October or in May, therefore if planning to go here during these times, hotels may be less full and may be cheaper than if going in July.

In the UK, schools break up for a week at half term in February. In some regions in Spain, the schools have holidays during carnival which can be 2 to 5 days, and sometimes, this can fall at the same time as the UK February half term holidays. It’s something to be aware of if you’re planning a family trip away during this time!

Easter holiday tends to be just one week in Spain unlike the UK which may have two. If there’s a chance to schedule your trip during the week that doesn’t coincide, you may find accommodation a little cheaper.

Portugal

Portuguese schools do not have a half term and instead, have four main holidays over the year. They have a few days off in February or March for Mardi Gras. Depending on when this is each year, it could fall at the same time as the UK’s February half term.

Portuguese schools have two weeks off over Christmas and two over Easter. They finish for summer either the first or second week of June.

France

French schools have half term holidays in October and in February. The dates vary depending on the region but the schools have two weeks in October and two in February. Therefore there tends to be an overlap with the UK school holidays, meaning if families are traveling when both French and UK schools are on half term, accommodation can be busy and pricey.

French schools also have two weeks at Easter which fall around the same time as the UK schools..

There is no half term at the end of May like in the UK so it may be less crowded at the hotels or apartments going to France “en famille” at that time.

Schools finish the beginning of July in 2024, so then accommodation and resorts will get busy after that date.

Croatia

Croatian schools tend to have a few days over in October which may coincide with the UK October half term. They have two weeks over Christmas and they also have winter holidays, which is a week off in mid February, a similar time to the UK half term.

Their Easter holidays are a little shorter, starting on the Thursday just before Good Friday.

Croatian schools do not have a May half term so if planning a trip from the UK, the accommodation will not be as busy as in July, after the children break up from school June 21st.