School holidays in Scotland 2026/27
The next school holiday in Scotland is the October break, which starts on Monday 12 October 2026 in most councils. The table shows the next holidays for every council.
The most common start of the October break is Monday 12 October 2026. The earliest next holiday starts on Monday 5 October.
Choose your council
Each page has the full calendar, in-service days and a calendar feed.
Every council at a glance, 2026/27
Ranges show the first and last weekday pupils are off, counting in-service days next to a holiday. Select a council for early closing times and 2027/28 dates.
| Council | October | Christmas | February | Easter | Last day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen | Mon 12 to Fri 23 Oct | Mon 21 Dec to Mon 4 Jan | Mon 8 to Wed 10 Feb | Fri 26 Mar to Fri 9 Apr | Fri 2 Jul |
| Aberdeenshire | Mon 12 to Fri 23 Oct | Wed 23 Dec to Mon 4 Jan | Mon 8 to Wed 10 Feb | Fri 26 Mar to Fri 9 Apr | Thu 1 Jul |
| Angus | Mon 5 to Fri 16 Oct | Thu 24 Dec to Wed 6 Jan | Thu 11 to Mon 15 Feb | Mon 29 Mar to Fri 9 Apr | Thu 1 Jul |
| Argyll and Bute | Mon 5 to Fri 16 Oct | Wed 23 Dec to Mon 4 Jan | Mon 8 to Mon 15 Feb | Mon 5 to Fri 16 Apr | Fri 2 Jul |
| Clackmannanshire | Mon 12 to Fri 23 Oct | Wed 23 Dec to Mon 4 Jan | Mon 8 to Fri 12 Feb | Mon 5 to Fri 16 Apr | Fri 25 Jun |
| Dumfries and Galloway | Mon 12 to Fri 23 Oct | Mon 21 Dec to Tue 5 Jan | Thu 18 and Fri 19 Feb | Fri 26 Mar to Fri 9 Apr | Fri 2 Jul |
| Dundee | Mon 12 to Fri 23 Oct | Thu 24 Dec to Wed 6 Jan | Fri 12 to Tue 16 Feb | Fri 26 Mar to Fri 9 Apr | Fri 2 Jul |
| East Ayrshire | Mon 12 to Mon 19 Oct | Mon 21 Dec to Mon 4 Jan | Fri 12 to Tue 16 Feb | Fri 26 Mar to Fri 9 Apr | Tue 29 Jun |
| East Dunbartonshire | Fri 9 to Fri 16 Oct | Mon 21 Dec to Mon 4 Jan | Mon 15 to Wed 17 Feb | Mon 5 to Fri 16 Apr | Wed 30 Jun |
| East Lothian | Mon 12 to Mon 19 Oct | Mon 21 Dec to Mon 4 Jan | Mon 15 to Mon 22 Feb | Mon 5 to Mon 19 Apr | Tue 29 Jun |
| East Renfrewshire | Fri 9 to Fri 16 Oct | Mon 21 Dec to Mon 4 Jan | Mon 15 to Wed 17 Feb | Mon 5 to Fri 16 Apr | Fri 25 Jun |
| Edinburgh | Mon 12 to Mon 19 Oct | Mon 21 Dec to Tue 5 Jan | Mon 15 to Fri 19 Feb | Mon 5 to Mon 19 Apr | Tue 29 Jun |
| Falkirk | Mon 12 to Fri 23 Oct | Wed 23 Dec to Mon 4 Jan | Thu 11 to Mon 15 Feb | Mon 5 to Fri 16 Apr | Fri 25 Jun |
| Fife | Mon 12 to Fri 23 Oct | Wed 23 Dec to Tue 5 Jan | Wed 10 to Fri 12 Feb | Fri 26 Mar to Fri 9 Apr | Fri 2 Jul |
| Glasgow | Fri 9 to Fri 16 Oct | Mon 21 Dec to Mon 4 Jan | Mon 15 to Wed 17 Feb | Mon 5 to Fri 16 Apr | Fri 25 Jun |
| Highland | Mon 12 to Fri 23 Oct | Wed 23 Dec to Tue 5 Jan | Mon 15 to Wed 17 Feb | Fri 26 Mar to Fri 9 Apr | Thu 1 Jul |
| Inverclyde | Mon 12 to Mon 19 Oct | Mon 21 Dec to Fri 1 Jan | Mon 15 to Wed 17 Feb | Mon 5 to Fri 16 Apr | Wed 30 Jun |
| Midlothian | Mon 12 to Mon 19 Oct | Wed 23 Dec to Wed 6 Jan | Mon 15 to Fri 19 Feb | Mon 5 to Mon 19 Apr | Tue 29 Jun |
| Moray | Mon 12 to Fri 23 Oct | Wed 23 Dec to Tue 5 Jan | Thu 11 to Tue 16 Feb | Fri 26 Mar to Fri 9 Apr | Fri 2 Jul |
| North Ayrshire | Mon 12 to Fri 16 Oct | Mon 21 Dec to Mon 4 Jan | Mon 15 and Tue 16 Feb | Fri 26 Mar to Fri 9 Apr | Wed 30 Jun |
| North Lanarkshire | Mon 12 to Fri 16 Oct | Mon 21 Dec to Mon 4 Jan | Mon 15 to Wed 17 Feb | Mon 5 to Fri 16 Apr | Fri 25 Jun |
| Orkney | Mon 12 to Tue 27 Oct | Mon 21 Dec to Mon 4 Jan | Thu 11 to Tue 16 Feb | Mon 29 Mar to Fri 9 Apr | Fri 2 Jul |
| Perth and Kinross | Mon 12 to Fri 23 Oct | Thu 24 Dec to Wed 6 Jan | Wed 10 to Fri 12 Feb | Fri 26 Mar to Fri 9 Apr | Thu 1 Jul |
| Renfrewshire | Mon 12 to Mon 19 Oct | Wed 23 Dec to Tue 5 Jan | Mon 15 to Wed 17 Feb | Mon 5 to Fri 16 Apr | Wed 30 Jun |
| Scottish Borders | Mon 12 to Mon 19 Oct | Wed 23 Dec to Tue 5 Jan | Mon 8 to Mon 15 Feb | Mon 5 to Fri 16 Apr | Thu 1 Jul |
| Shetland | Mon 12 to Tue 27 Oct | Mon 21 Dec to Mon 4 Jan | Fri 12 to Tue 16 Feb | Thu 25 Mar to Tue 6 Apr | Fri 2 Jul |
| South Ayrshire | Mon 12 to Mon 19 Oct | Wed 23 Dec to Mon 4 Jan | Fri 12 to Tue 16 Feb | Fri 26 Mar to Fri 9 Apr | Wed 30 Jun |
| South Lanarkshire | Mon 12 to Fri 16 Oct | Wed 23 Dec to Tue 5 Jan | Mon 15 to Wed 17 Feb | Mon 5 to Fri 16 Apr | Fri 25 Jun |
| Stirling | Mon 12 to Fri 23 Oct | Wed 23 Dec to Mon 4 Jan | Mon 8 to Fri 12 Feb | Mon 5 to Fri 16 Apr | Fri 25 Jun |
| West Dunbartonshire | Mon 12 to Fri 16 Oct | Mon 21 Dec to Mon 4 Jan | Mon 15 to Wed 17 Feb | Mon 5 to Fri 16 Apr | Wed 30 Jun |
| West Lothian | Mon 19 to Mon 26 Oct | Mon 21 Dec to Mon 4 Jan | Mon 8 to Mon 15 Feb | Fri 26 Mar to Fri 9 Apr | Fri 25 Jun |
| Western Isles | Fri 9 to Wed 21 Oct | Wed 23 Dec to Mon 4 Jan | Fri 12 to Wed 17 Feb | Fri 26 Mar to Fri 9 Apr | Fri 25 Jun |
How the Scottish school year works
Scottish pupils are in school for 190 days a year. Teachers work 195 days, and the five extra days are in-service days, when schools close to pupils. This comes from the national teachers' conditions agreed through the SNCT.
There is no national holiday calendar. Each council sets its own dates, usually years ahead, after consulting parents and staff. That is why two schools a few miles apart can break up on different days.
The usual pattern
Most councils follow the same shape, with small differences in timing.
- August: pupils return in mid-August. In 2026 the first councils went back on Wednesday 12 August and the last on Thursday 20 August.
- September weekend: many councils close on a Friday and Monday in September. Glasgow closed on 25 and 28 September 2026; Edinburgh closed on Monday 14 September.
- October: one week in much of the central belt, two weeks in much of the north and east.
- Christmas: about two weeks, ending in the first week of January.
- February: a short mid-term break of one to five days, usually mid-February.
- Easter: two weeks, either from Good Friday or a week later.
- May: most councils close on the May Day bank holiday. Some add a long weekend at the end of May.
- Summer: from late June or early July to mid-August, about seven weeks.
How councils differ
The biggest gaps are in October and at Easter. In October 2026, Glasgow and Edinburgh take one week from 12 October. Fife, Highland and Dundee take two weeks, to Friday 23 October.
At Easter 2027, Fife and Highland break from Friday 26 March to Friday 9 April. Glasgow and North Lanarkshire close for Good Friday and Easter Monday. Their spring break then runs from 5 to 16 April.
Some schools also have local days off. West Lothian closes Bathgate schools on 7 June 2027 and Linlithgow schools on 15 June 2027. Lanark schools in South Lanarkshire close on 10 and 11 June 2027.
2027/28 dates
Most councils have published dates for 2027/28. Pupils return between Wednesday 11 and Tuesday 24 August 2027. Where a council has not confirmed its dates, we say so on its page rather than guess.
Before you book
Dates can change, especially in-service days. Check with your school before paying for a holiday, and check the date we last confirmed each council's calendar.
Quick answers
- How many school days are there in Scotland?
Pupils attend for 190 days each session. Teachers work 195 days, with the extra five used as in-service days when schools are closed to pupils.
- When is the October holiday in Scotland in 2026?
Most councils start on Monday 12 October 2026. Some finish on 16 October and others on 23 October. Angus and Argyll and Bute start on 5 October, and West Lothian on 19 October.
- When do Scottish schools break up for Christmas 2026?
Between Friday 18 and Wednesday 23 December 2026, depending on the council. Glasgow and Edinburgh finish on 18 December; Fife and Highland on 22 December.
- When are the 2027 summer holidays in Scotland?
Schools break up between Friday 25 June and Friday 2 July 2027. They go back between Wednesday 11 and Tuesday 24 August 2027.
- Can my school have different holidays from the council?
Yes, sometimes. Some schools have local holidays, such as Lanark schools at Lanimer time or Bathgate schools on Procession Day. Your school's own calendar is the final word.