This article will tell you about the dates of school holidays in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for 2021. Here are the dates of the holidays. In the post, you will find links to check dates for your region. School-Holidays.Info also made a publication about school holidays in the UK in 2022.
Academic year in the United Kingdom
The school year in UK schools usually begins in September and ends in July. It is divided into three semesters: fall, spring, and summer. Each of them is divided into two parts. After each half of the semester, there is a school vacation lasting about a week.
The fall semester runs from early September to the second half of December. Next comes the Christmas holidays. The spring semester starts in January and ends with Easter break. The summer semester starts after Easter and ends in July.
Why you need to clarify the dates of school holidays in 2021
All schools in the UK are divided into two types – regular and academy. Local education authorities run regular schools. They set start and end dates for school vacations and semesters. The Ministry of Education runs the academies.
Schools can schedule training and staff training days. Students do not attend classes on these dates. School administrations set these days. Some days can be made weekends due to bad weather.
Vacation dates depend on the type of school and its location. This article provides official figures, but they may differ. They need to be specified separately for each educational institution. Besides them, there are official days off. Students usually rest on these holidays. There are also bank holidays.
Official holidays of the United Kingdom
The UK is divided into four regions: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Holidays are slightly different there. See the holidays below for different regions:
England and Wales
- New Year’s Day – 1st January;
- Good Friday – 2nd April;
- Easter Monday – 5th April;
- Early May Bank Holiday – 3rd May;
- Spring Bank Holiday – 31st May;
- August Bank Holiday – 30th August;
- Christmas Day – 27th December;
- Boxing Day – 28th December.
Northern Ireland
- New Year’s Day – 1st January;
- St Patrick’s Day – 17th March;
- Good Friday – 2nd April;
- Easter Monday – 5th April;
- Early May Bank Holiday – 2nd May;
- Spring Bank Holiday – 31st May;
- Battle of the Boyne – 12th July;
- August Bank Holiday – 30th August;
- Christmas Day – 27th December;
- Boxing Day – 28th December.
Scotland
- New Year’s Day – 1st January;
- 2nd January Bank Holiday – 4th January;
- Good Friday – 2nd April;
- Easter Monday – 5th April;
- Early May Bank Holiday – 3rd May;
- Spring Bank Holiday – 31st May;
- Summer Bank Holiday – 2nd August;
- St Andrew’s Day – 30th November;
- Christmas Day – 27th December;
- Boxing Day – 28th December.
School holidays in England 2021
- Christmas break – 21 December 2020 to 1 January 2021;
- Spring Holidays – 15 to 19 February;
- Easter Holidays – 2 to 19 April;
- Summer half-term – 31 May to 4 June;
- Summer holidays – 26 July to 1 September;
- Autumn half-term – 25 to 29 October;
- Christmas break – 17 December 2021 to 4 January 2022.
School holiday dates in Scotland 2021
- Christmas holidays – 21 December 2020 to 1 January 2021;
- Spring holiday – 15 February;
- Easter holidays – 5 to 16 April;
- May holiday – 3 May;
- Summer holidays – 5 July to 17 August;
- Autumn holidays – 18 to 22 October;
- Christmas holidays 20 – 31 December.
School holidays dates in Northern Ireland
- Christmas and New Year – 22 December 2020 to 1 January 2021;
- Mid-term – 18 to 19 February;
- Easter – 1 to 9 April;
- Summer holiday – 1 July to 30 August.
Sorry, the school holidays in Ireland for the 2021-2022 school year are not yet available. We will follow the information. As soon as the vacation schedule is approved, we will publish it.
School holidays in Wales 2021
- Christmas and New Year – 21 December 2020 to 5 January 2021;
- Mid-term – 15 to 22 February;
- Easter holidays – 29 March to 12 April;
- May holiday – 31 May to 4 June;
- Summer half-term break – 31 May to 8 June;
- Summer holidays – 1 July to 1/2 September (see below);
- Autumn holidays – 25 to 29 October;
- Christmas holidays – 25 December 2021 to 3 January 2021.
2021/2022 academic year starts on 1 September in:
- Carmarthenshire;
- Pembrokeshire;
- Powys;
- Ceredigion;
- Anglesey;
- Conwy;
- Denbighshire;
- Flintshire;
- Gwynedd;
- Wrexham.
2021/2022 academic year starts on 2 September in:
- Bridgend;
- Cardiff;
- Merthyr Tydfil;
- Rhondda Cynon Taff;
- Vale of Glamorgan;
- Blaenau Gwent;
- Caerphilly;
- Monmouthshire;
- Newport;
- Torfaen;
- Neath Port Talbot;
- Swansea.
This post has included the start and end dates for school holidays in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. As new information becomes available, we will supplement it. Don’t forget to share the article with your friends!
