Orkney school term dates & holidays 2026/27

Compiled from Orkney Islands Council's published calendar · last checked 12 September 2026

These are the official school term dates and holidays set by Orkney Islands Council for the 2026/27 academic year: term start and finish dates, half terms, and the Christmas, Easter and summer breaks. We take the dates straight from the council's own published calendar (linked below), convert them into one consistent format, and recheck them each academic year. School-day counts exclude weekends and half term but not inset days, which individual schools choose themselves.

Orkney term dates 2026/27

PeriodStartsEndsLength
Autumn term 2026 termTuesday, 18 August 2026Friday, 18 December 202677 school days
October half term holidayMonday, 12 October 2026Tuesday, 27 October 2026
Christmas holiday holidaySaturday, 19 December 2026Monday, 4 January 2027
Spring term 2027 termTuesday, 5 January 2027Friday, 26 March 202755 school days
February half term holidayThursday, 11 February 2027Tuesday, 16 February 2027
Easter holiday holidaySaturday, 27 March 2027Sunday, 11 April 2027
Summer term 2027 termMonday, 12 April 2027Friday, 2 July 202760 school days
Council notes for 2026/27:
  • Orkney publishes four terms. Autumn term above spans Term 1 (Tuesday 18 August to Friday 9 October 2026) and Term 2 (Wednesday 28 October to Friday 18 December 2026).
  • October holidays: Monday 12 October to Tuesday 27 October 2026, with in-service days on Monday 26 and Tuesday 27 October.
  • Christmas holidays: Monday 21 December 2026 to Monday 4 January 2027.
  • February break: schools closed Thursday 11 February to Tuesday 16 February 2027, with Tuesday 16 February an in-service day.
  • Spring holidays: Monday 29 March to Friday 9 April 2027, including Easter Monday 29 March.
  • Schools closed Monday 3 May 2027 for the May Day holiday and Monday 31 May 2027, which is an in-service day.
  • Staff only in-service days: Monday 17 August 2026, Monday 26 and Tuesday 27 October 2026, Tuesday 16 February 2027 and Monday 31 May 2027.
Source: these dates come from Orkney Islands Council's official term dates page, last checked by us on 12 September 2026. If the council amends its calendar mid-year, its page is the authority; tell us and we'll correct ours. Read how we compile term dates.

Common questions

When is October half term in Orkney?

October half term in Orkney runs from Monday, 12 October 2026 to Tuesday, 27 October 2026. Pupils return the following school day.

When do Orkney schools break up for Christmas?

The autumn term in Orkney ends on Friday, 18 December 2026, so that is the last day of school before the Christmas holiday.

When do Orkney schools break up for summer?

The summer term ends on Friday, 2 July 2027. The summer holiday starts the next day.

Is Orkney's October half term the same as neighbouring councils?

Partly. Of the 31 other Scotland councils we cover, 1 share Orkney's October half term week in 2026/27, while Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow, Highland, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Moray, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Perth and Kinross, Renfrewshire, Scottish Borders, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Stirling, West Dunbartonshire, West Lothian, Western Isles differ. If your children attend schools under different councils, check both pages before booking.

Do all schools in Orkney follow these dates?

No. These are Orkney Islands Council's published dates for community and voluntary-controlled schools. Academies, free schools, foundation schools and private schools set their own calendars, and every school adds its own inset days. Check with your school before booking anything you can't refund.

Tempted by term-time prices? Taking children out of school during term can mean a penalty notice, and the rules differ across the UK. How school fines work, nation by nation.

Nearby councils