East Ayrshire school term dates 2026/27

Schools break up in 55 days — Fri 18 Dec 2026

Next holiday: Christmas holiday, Mon 21 Dec 2026 – Mon 4 Jan 2027

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Verified against www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk on Sat 5 Sep 2026. Cross-checked against the recorded source Where these dates come from

Check your school's calendar.

2026/27

Terms 2026/27

School holidays, public holidays and recorded training days are excluded. Your school may set more training days, so pupils may attend fewer days. Check your school's calendar.

East Ayrshire terms 2026/27
TermStartsEndsWeekdays in term
Autumn term computed Wed 19 Aug 2026 Fri 18 Dec 2026 79
Spring term computed Tue 5 Jan 2027 Thu 25 Mar 2027 55
Summer term computed Mon 12 Apr 2027 Tue 29 Jun 2027 54

Holidays 2026/27

East Ayrshire holidays 2026/27
HolidayFirst day offLast day off
September local holidays Fri 18 Sep 2026 Mon 21 Sep 2026
October half term Mon 12 Oct 2026 Fri 16 Oct 2026
Christmas holiday Mon 21 Dec 2026 Mon 4 Jan 2027
February local holiday Fri 12 Feb 2027 Mon 15 Feb 2027
Easter holiday Fri 26 Mar 2027 Fri 9 Apr 2027
May Day local holiday Mon 3 May 2027 Mon 3 May 2027
Summer holiday computed Wed 30 Jun 2027 Tue 17 Aug 2027

INSET and closure days 2026/27

East Ayrshire pupil-free days 2026/27, as listed by the source
TermStartsEnds
INSET day per school Mon 17 Aug 2026 Mon 17 Aug 2026
INSET day per school Tue 18 Aug 2026 Tue 18 Aug 2026
INSET day per school Mon 19 Oct 2026 Mon 19 Oct 2026
INSET day per school Tue 16 Feb 2027 Tue 16 Feb 2027
INSET day per school Mon 24 May 2027 Mon 24 May 2027

2027/28 — next year, already published

Terms 2027/28

School holidays, public holidays and recorded training days are excluded. Your school may set more training days, so pupils may attend fewer days. Check your school's calendar.

East Ayrshire terms 2027/28
TermStartsEndsWeekdays in term
Autumn term computed Wed 18 Aug 2027 Tue 21 Dec 2027 76
Spring term computed Wed 5 Jan 2028 Fri 31 Mar 2028 61
Summer term computed Wed 19 Apr 2028 Fri 30 Jun 2028 51

Holidays 2027/28

East Ayrshire holidays 2027/28
HolidayFirst day offLast day off
September local holidays Fri 17 Sep 2027 Mon 20 Sep 2027
October half term Mon 11 Oct 2027 Fri 22 Oct 2027
Christmas holiday Wed 22 Dec 2027 Tue 4 Jan 2028
February local holiday Mon 21 Feb 2028 Mon 21 Feb 2028
Easter holiday computed Mon 3 Apr 2028 Tue 18 Apr 2028
May Day local holiday Mon 1 May 2028 Mon 1 May 2028
Summer holiday computed tbc
return date not yet published (usually published in September)		 Mon 3 Jul 2028 —

INSET and closure days 2027/28

East Ayrshire pupil-free days 2027/28, as listed by the source
TermStartsEnds
INSET day per school Mon 16 Aug 2027 Mon 16 Aug 2027
INSET day per school Tue 17 Aug 2027 Tue 17 Aug 2027
INSET day per school Mon 25 Oct 2027 Mon 25 Oct 2027
INSET day per school Tue 22 Feb 2028 Tue 22 Feb 2028
INSET day per school Tue 18 Apr 2028 Tue 18 Apr 2028

School admissions in East Ayrshire

Last distances offered, Ofsted and results for every school in East Ayrshire, on Schools in Reach.

What's different about East Ayrshire

  • There are 1 half-term break in 2026/27: October half term.
  • The source lists 5 pupil-free days (INSET day): Mon 17 Aug 2026, Tue 18 Aug 2026, Mon 19 Oct 2026, Tue 16 Feb 2027, Mon 24 May 2027.
  • Good Friday (Fri 26 Mar 2027) falls inside the Easter holiday.
  • TermMinder first recorded the 2026/27 dates in September 2026.

Who these dates apply to

The council sets local term dates, but individual schools choose in-service days and may make small changes.

Where these dates come from

Source: East Ayrshire, official school term dates. www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk

Verified against www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk on Sat 5 Sep 2026. Cross-checked against the recorded source

Source text
School holidays 2026 to 2027 Please note that all dates are inclusive. August 2026 | Date | Description | Monday 17 August 2026 | In-service day | Tuesday 18 August 2026 | In-service day | Wednesday 19 August 2026 | Pupils return September 2026 | Date | Description | Friday 18 September to Monday 21 September 2026 | Local holidays (subject to change in alignment with Ayr Gold Cup weekend) | Tuesday 22 September 2026 | Pupils return October 2026 | Date | Description | Monday 12 October to Friday 16 October 2026 | October holidays | Monday 19 October 2026 | In-service day | Tuesday 20 October 2026 | Pupils return December 2026 to January 2027 | Date | Description | Monday 21 December 2026 to Monday 4 January 2027 | Christmas and New Year | Tuesday 5 January 2027 | Pupils return February 2027 | Date | Description | Friday 12 February to Monday 15 February 2027 | Local holiday | Tuesday 16 February 2027 | In-service day | Wednesday 17 February 2027 | Pupils return March to April 2027 | Date | Description | Friday 26 March to Friday 9 April 2027 | Easter holidays (Good Friday - 26 March 2027) | Monday 12 April 2027 | Pupils return May 2027 | Date | Description | Monday 3 May 2027 | Local holiday (May Day) | Tuesday 4 May 2027 | Pupils return | Monday 24 May 2027 | In-service day | Tuesday 25 May 2027 | Pupils return June, July and August 2027 | Date | Description | Wednesday 30 June to Friday 13 August 2027 | Summer holidays | Monday 16 August 2027 | In-service day | Tuesday 17 August 2027 | In-service day | Wednesday 18 August 2027 | Pupils return

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Frequently asked questions

When does the autumn term end in East Ayrshire in 2026?
Pupils break up on Friday 18 December 2026.
When is the Christmas holiday 2026 in East Ayrshire?
The Christmas holiday in East Ayrshire runs from Monday 21 December 2026 to Monday 4 January 2027 inclusive.
When do East Ayrshire schools go back for the spring term in January 2027?
The spring term in East Ayrshire starts on Tuesday 5 January 2027.
When is the February local holiday 2027 in East Ayrshire?
The February local holiday in East Ayrshire runs from Friday 12 February 2027 to Monday 15 February 2027 inclusive.
When does the spring term end in East Ayrshire in 2027?
Pupils break up on Thursday 25 March 2027.

My school's dates are different