A school holidays consultation is a process where local authorities seek input from the public, including parents, pupils, and staff, on proposed school holiday dates and in-service days for upcoming academic years.

A motion was approved at the Council’s Education, Children and Families Committee in October 2024 to consult on school term arrangements, taking effect from session 2026-2027. A further paper was presented to committee in February 2025 outlining proposals for the consultation.

Consultations ensure that the views of the community are considered when setting school holiday dates. This helps to align holidays across schools and accommodate local holidays and events.

As this is a non-statutory consultation, the consultation period is from 19 March until 4 April 2025.

Anyone with an interest in school holiday dates, such as parents, pupils, carers, staff, parent councils and trade unions, is encouraged to participate.

The feedback collected during the consultation will be reviewed and presented to the Education, Children and Families Committee in September 2025. At that point, there may be further amendments made, since the committee will then make a final decision on any changes to school holiday dates.

Access the consultation questionnaire.

Factors include aligning holidays with public holidays, ensuring terms are evenly spaced, and considering the needs of both primary and secondary schools. Crucially, however, the educational needs of pupils will always remain the most important factor.

Term dates and holidays are set by individual local authorities.

Schools are required to have at least 190 teaching days per year, with an additional five days allocated for in-service training (INSET days)

Both Option A and Option B include the same number of working days - 195. This is broken down into 190 teaching days, plus a further 5 days for staff development (INSET Days).

Our view is that due to the release of SQA results to pupils, and to allow schools to support any subsequent changes to curriculum options and school timetables, this option is not recommended due to the potential negative impact on subject choices and pathways for young people.