Northern Ireland school holidays 2026/27

There are no council-wide term dates in Northern Ireland: each school's Board of Governors (with the principal) sets its own holiday calendar and sends it to the Education Authority (EA). The Department of Education (DE) sets the rules on how many days schools must open, and each year the EA and DE publish a list of 'non-operational' days when school buses and school meals do not run, which most schools build their calendars around. So dates can differ from school to school, and parents should always check their own school's holiday list.

Common closure dates 2026/27

The Department of Education and the Education Authority publish these "non-operational" dates. Most schools close on them, but schools can open at their own discretion.

ClosureDates
Halloween break (common days)Thu 29 – Fri 30 Oct 2026
Christmas and New YearMon 21 Dec 2026 – Fri 1 Jan 2027
February mid-term (common days)Thu 11 – Fri 12 Feb 2027
St Patrick's DayWed 17 Mar 2027
EasterThu 25 Mar – Fri 2 Apr 2027
May Day (early May bank holiday)Mon 3 May 2027
Spring bank holidayMon 31 May 2027
Summer holiday beginsFrom Thu 1 Jul 2027
TransformED closure day (term 1)Fri 25 Sep 2026
TransformED closure day (term 2)Mon 25 Jan 2027
TransformED closure day (term 3)Tue 4 May 2027

What most schools actually do

We compared several school calendars for 2026/27. They are all post-primary schools, so primary schools may stick closer to the common days.

Halloween break – full weekMon 26 – Fri 30 Oct 2026All 5 school calendars checked close for the whole week of 26-30 October (official common days are only Thu 29-Fri 30). Some add Friday 23 October and/or Monday 2 November.
ChristmasMon 21 Dec 2026 – Fri 1 Jan 2027All 5 schools are closed 21 Dec-1 Jan; most finish on Friday 18 December and several also keep pupils off on Monday 4 January (staff day), returning Tuesday 5 January.
February mid-term – full weekMon 8 – Fri 12 Feb 2027All 5 schools close for the whole week of 8-12 February (official common days are only Thu 11-Fri 12).
St Patrick's DayWed 17 Mar 2027Closed at every school whose calendar lists it (4 of 5; RBAI's list does not mention it). Some add 18 March as a staff day.
EasterThu 25 Mar – Fri 2 Apr 2027Most schools match the common dates (closed Thu 25 March to Fri 2 April, back Mon 5 April). Some take two weeks: RBAI returns 12 April and Omagh Academy 7 April.
May bank holidaysMon 3 – Tue 4 May 2027All 5 schools close on Monday 3 May; most also close Tuesday 4 May (TransformED day). Monday 31 May is also closed at all 5 (bank holiday or staff day).
Summer holidayFrom Thu 1 Jul 2027Schools finish on or just before Wednesday 30 June 2027; the summer break starts 1 July. The return date in late August / early September 2027 is not published yet and varies by school (for 2026 DE gave 1 September).

Bank holidays in Northern Ireland

Summer bank holiday (Mon 31 Aug 2026), Christmas Day (Fri 25 Dec 2026), Boxing Day (substitute day) (Mon 28 Dec 2026), New Year's Day (Fri 1 Jan 2027), St Patrick's Day (Wed 17 Mar 2027), Good Friday (Fri 26 Mar 2027), Easter Monday (Mon 29 Mar 2027), Early May bank holiday (Mon 3 May 2027), Spring bank holiday (Mon 31 May 2027), Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen's Day) (Mon 12 Jul 2027).

The rules

  • Schools must be open for at least 190 days a year, less any emergency (exceptional) closures DE approves.
  • Because of School Development Days and TransformED days, the minimum number of days pupils are taught is temporarily 182 days in 2026/27 (183 in 2025/26).
  • Schools may close to pupils for up to five School Development Days, plus (for now) one TransformED Development Day per term. Principals also decide how the five 'Baker Days' (staff in, pupils off) are used.
  • In 2026/27 the three TransformED closure days are Friday 25 September 2026, Monday 25 January 2027 and Tuesday 4 May 2027.
  • DE's common non-operational dates are not compulsory: schools can open on them at their own discretion.
  • The EA's 2026/27 list adds up to 67 non-operational days (including all of August and July), leaving 3 optional closure days that each Board of Governors decides.
  • School buses, school meals and Translink school passes do not operate on the EA non-operational dates, so a school that opens on one of them must tell parents.
  • Schools had to send their 2026/27 holiday calendar to the EA by 1 April 2026.
  • Pupils in Years 1-3 must get at least 3 hours of teaching a day and older pupils at least 4.5 hours (religious education and lunch do not count).

2027/28

The common dates for 2027/28 haven't been published yet. The Education Authority usually publishes them in January or February.

Sources: Department of Education – school holidays · Education Authority – non-operational dates 2026/27 · GOV.UK bank holidays. Checked Sun 11 Oct 2026.

Always check your own school's holiday list before booking.