South Ayrshire school term dates 2026/27

Schools break up in 108 days — Tue 22 Dec 2026

Next holiday: September holiday, Fri 18 Sep 2026 – Mon 21 Sep 2026

Verified from www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk on Sat 5 Sep 2026. Cross-checked against an independent dataset Where these dates come from

Check your school's calendar.

2026/27

Terms 2026/27

South Ayrshire terms 2026/27
TermStartsEndsSchool days
Autumn term computed
scotland published late week start		 Thu 20 Aug 2026 Tue 22 Dec 2026 80
Spring term computed Tue 5 Jan 2027 Thu 25 Mar 2027 55
Summer term Mon 12 Apr 2027 Wed 30 Jun 2027 54

Holidays 2026/27

South Ayrshire holidays 2026/27
HolidayFirst day offLast day off
September holiday Fri 18 Sep 2026 Mon 21 Sep 2026
October half term Mon 12 Oct 2026 Fri 16 Oct 2026
Christmas holiday Wed 23 Dec 2026 Mon 4 Jan 2027
February holiday Fri 12 Feb 2027 Mon 15 Feb 2027
Easter holiday Fri 26 Mar 2027 Fri 9 Apr 2027
May Day holiday Mon 3 May 2027 Mon 3 May 2027
May holiday Fri 28 May 2027 Mon 31 May 2027
Summer holiday computed Thu 1 Jul 2027 Fri 13 Aug 2027

INSET and closure days 2026/27

South Ayrshire pupil-free days 2026/27, as listed by the source
DayDateUntil
INSET day per school Tue 18 Aug 2026 Tue 18 Aug 2026
INSET day per school Wed 19 Aug 2026 Wed 19 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 Thu 6 May 2027 Thu 6 May 2027

2027/28 — next year, already published

Terms 2027/28

South Ayrshire terms 2027/28
TermStartsEndsSchool days
Autumn term computed Mon 16 Aug 2027 Wed 22 Dec 2027 79
Spring term computed
scotland published late week start		 Thu 6 Jan 2028 Fri 31 Mar 2028 59
Summer term Tue 18 Apr 2028 Fri 30 Jun 2028 51

Holidays 2027/28

South Ayrshire holidays 2027/28
HolidayFirst day offLast day off
September holiday Fri 17 Sep 2027 Mon 20 Sep 2027
October half term Mon 11 Oct 2027 Fri 22 Oct 2027
Christmas holiday Thu 23 Dec 2027 Wed 5 Jan 2028
February holiday Fri 18 Feb 2028 Mon 21 Feb 2028
Easter holiday Mon 3 Apr 2028 Mon 17 Apr 2028
May Day holiday Mon 1 May 2028 Mon 1 May 2028
May holiday Mon 29 May 2028 Mon 29 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

South Ayrshire pupil-free days 2027/28, as listed by the source
DayDateUntil
INSET day per school Thu 12 Aug 2027 Thu 12 Aug 2027
INSET day per school Fri 13 Aug 2027 Fri 13 Aug 2027
INSET day per school Fri 19 Nov 2027 Fri 19 Nov 2027
INSET day per school Thu 17 Feb 2028 Thu 17 Feb 2028
INSET day per school Tue 30 May 2028 Tue 30 May 2028

What's different about South Ayrshire

  • The summer term in South Ayrshire is 54 school days (Mon 12 Apr 2027 – Wed 30 Jun 2027), 19 days shorter than the median across the 52 United Kingdom jurisdictions we cover.
  • South Ayrshire schools break up for summer on Wed 30 Jun 2027, 28 days before the latest (Surrey, Wed 28 Jul 2027).
  • There are 1 half-term break in 2026/27: October half term.
  • The source lists 5 pupil-free days (INSET day): Tue 18 Aug 2026, Wed 19 Aug 2026, Mon 19 Oct 2026, Tue 16 Feb 2027, Thu 6 May 2027.
  • Good Friday (Fri 26 Mar 2027) falls inside the Easter holiday.
  • The 2026/27 dates were first published 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: South Ayrshire, official school term dates. www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk

Verified from www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk on Sat 5 Sep 2026. Cross-checked against an independent dataset

Source text
Term and holiday dates 2026 - 2027 | Date | Holiday | First term | | 18 August 2026 | Inservice day | 19 August 2026 | Inservice day | 20 August 2026 | Pupils return | 18 September 2026 - 21 September 2026 | Schools closed | 12 October 2026 - 16 October 2026 | Schools closed | 19 October 2026 | Inservice day | 20 October 2026 | Pupils return | 23 December 2026 - 4 January 2027 | Schools closed | Second Term | | 05 January 2027 | Pupils return | 12 February 2027 - 15 February 2027 | Schools closed | 16 February 2027 | Inservice day | 17 February 2027 | Pupils return | Third Term | | 26 March 2027 - 9 April 2027 | Schools closed | 12 April 2027 | Pupils return | 03 May 2027 | Schools closed | 04 May 2027 | Pupils return | 06 May 2027 | Inservice day | 07 May 2027 | Pupils return | 28 May 2027 - 31 May 2027 | Schools closed | 30 June 2027 | last day of term for pupils and staff

Keep these dates

Frequently asked questions

When is the September holiday 2026 in South Ayrshire?
The September holiday in South Ayrshire runs from Friday 18 September 2026 to Monday 21 September 2026 inclusive.
When is the October half term 2026 in South Ayrshire?
The October half term in South Ayrshire runs from Monday 12 October 2026 to Friday 16 October 2026 inclusive.
When does the autumn term end in South Ayrshire in 2026?
Pupils break up on Tuesday 22 December 2026.
When is the Christmas holiday 2026 in South Ayrshire?
The Christmas holiday in South Ayrshire runs from Wednesday 23 December 2026 to Monday 4 January 2027 inclusive.
When do South Ayrshire schools go back for the spring term in January 2027?
The spring term in South Ayrshire starts on Tuesday 5 January 2027.

My school's dates are different