Are Schools Closed on Bank Holidays? UK Term Dates

Schools close on bank holidays, but that is the least useful part of the answer. What decides your childcare problem is the local term calendar, the in-service days around it, and — in Scotland — a set of local holidays that are not bank holidays at all.

Which bank holidays actually land in term time

So in practice only two bank holidays a year add a day to the school calendar in England and Wales: the early May Monday and, where half-term does not already cover it, the spring bank holiday. Full dates are on our list of UK bank holidays.

Scotland works differently

Scottish schools return in mid-August and break up at the end of June, so the summer bank holiday in early August falls inside the holiday and the late-August English one is irrelevant. There is no Easter Monday bank holiday in Scotland, and the October week — a full week’s break in autumn — has no English equivalent.

On top of that, every Scottish council sets its own local public holidays, and these are built into school term dates. Glasgow’s autumn holiday, Edinburgh’s Victoria Day and the summer trades holidays all close schools without appearing on any national bank holiday list. We keep a table of local holidays by council and a page on Scottish bank holidays.

In-service and inset days are not bank holidays

Schools in England and Wales usually schedule five inset (in-service training) days a year; Scottish schools have in-service days on the same principle. Pupils stay at home, staff are working, and the days are chosen by the school or trust rather than fixed nationally. They are frequently attached to the start of a term or to a bank holiday weekend, which is why a “bank holiday” sometimes turns into a four-day gap in childcare.

They are also the reason two schools in the same town can have different dates. Academy trusts in England set their own calendars and are not bound by the council’s.

Independent schools and nurseries

Independent schools close on bank holidays but run their own term dates, typically with longer holidays and earlier finishes than the state sector. Nurseries and childminders vary: most close on bank holidays, and many charge for the day regardless because fees are calculated across the year. Check the contract rather than assuming a refund.

Holiday clubs and breakfast or after-school clubs generally do not run on bank holidays, and demand for holiday cover in the surrounding week is high. Book early, particularly around the May half-term.

Where to check your own dates

1. For a council-maintained school in England or Wales, use the local authority’s term dates page.
2. For an academy or free school, check the school’s own website — the trust sets the calendar.
3. In Scotland, use the council’s term dates page; mygov.scot links to all 32.
4. In Northern Ireland, check the Education Authority and then the individual school.
5. Then check the school’s inset or in-service dates separately — they are published apart from the term dates and change from year to year.

Planning a break around the dates? Our long weekends guide maps the bank holidays against school terms, and bank holiday entitlement explains where you stand at work.