When is half-term, and when is the Easter bank holiday break?

Children can look forward to a couple of weeks off school over Easter.
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As we plough ahead into April, Brits are looking forward to their next holidays.

Easter is one of the most significant observances in the Christian calendar but, unlike Christmas, Halloween, and Valentine’s Day, its date changes every year and can fall any time between March 22 and April 25.

This is because the Christian date is decided by a complex set of calculations based on observations of the moon.

Here’s everything you need to know about school holidays, bank holidays, and UK term dates around Easter.

When was the last half-term holiday?

February half-term was the last time pupils and staff enjoyed a break.

Half-term falls between Monday, February 13, and Friday, February 17, though this does vary in different schools and areas.

When is Easter 2023?

Easter Sunday falls on April 9, just over a week earlier than last year’s celebrations on April 17, with school holidays and bank holidays slotting around that date.

Good Friday, which Christians believe is the commemoration of Jesus’s crucifixion, will land on Friday, April 7.

Easter Monday bank holiday will then follow on Monday, April 10, which will complete a four-day weekend for people in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Easter is not actually a nationwide bank holiday in Scotland, although various councils do claim it as one, such as Edinburgh, Falkirk, and Dundee.

When do schools break up for Easter 2023?

Schools usually get around two weeks off for the Easter break. This can vary in different areas, so it’s worth double-checking dates with your child’s school.

However, most schools in England, Scotland, and Wales will break up for Easter from Monday, April 3 to Monday, April 17.

Parents are urged to double-check dates with their local councils, many of which post term dates on their websites.

When are UK term dates in 2023?

Term dates vary for each school, so it is important for parents to check their children’s school website, but below are common dates.

Summer term starts on Tuesday, April 19.

The following half-term holiday is for a week, between Monday, May 30 and Friday, June 3.

This leaves several weeks of term until the summer holidays on Friday, July 22.

Bank holidays

Good Friday and Easter Monday are not the only national holidays to look forward to as temperatures become warmer.

The first May bank holiday this year falls on Monday, May 2, with another on Monday, May 8, to celebrate King Charles’s coronation.

The spring bank holiday falls on Thursday, June 2, and the summer bank holiday falls on August 29.

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