School holiday
School holidays (also referred to as vacations, breaks, and recess) are the periods during which schools are closed or no classes or other mandatory activities are held. The dates and periods of school holidays vary considerably throughout the world, and there is usually some variation even within the same jurisdiction. Governments often legislate on the total number of school days for state schools. The holidays given below apply to primary and secondary education. Teaching sessions (terms or semesters) in tertiary education are usually longer.Terminology
Spring vacation
In countries with a Christian religious tradition, theSummer vacation
In the northern hemisphere, the longest break in the educational calendar is in the middle of the year, during the northern summer, and lasts up to 14 weeks. In Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, and Russia,Common practices and effects
Summer holidays for most children are a time to relax, enjoy themselves, catch up on studies, or spend time with family or relatives. Many families travel together on school holidays. School holidays have many effects on a country, ranging from the price of travel and holiday accommodation, which increase as demand increases while children are off school, to a change in crime rate: ExamplBy country
Africa
Nigeria
In Nigeria, the longest holiday is from mid-July to second week of September for secondary schools and a longer duration within same period for tertiary institutions. Holidays are basically determined by schools and they start from June to early days in September.South Africa
In South Africa, the main holiday usually lasts from early December to early or mid-January (4 or 6 weeks). There is an autumn break of up to 2 weeks in late March or earlyAmericas
Brazil
In Brazil, summer holidays start in early December and end in late January or early February. Winter holidays are generally the entire month of July. Some schools in the tropical north follow a different school year. TheCanada
In Canada, the school year typically lasts between 185 and 190 days. The summer holiday includes the months of July and August, with students returning to school in late August or early September, most commonly on the day after Labour Day. The winter break lasts for two weeks (sometimes a day or two longer), beginning on Saturday and encompassing Christmas Day and New Year's Day. The spring break is one to two weeks long depending on the city or province. Good Friday and Easter may or may not fall within spring break. The Thanksgiving break is a 3-day break that falls in mid-October. * InChile
The school year is divided into semesters. The first semester runs from late February or early March to July. Following a two-week or three-week winter break, school resumes and lasts until early or mid-December, followed by 10–12 weeks of summer vacations. In addition, schools have a one-week-long break for National Holidays in mid-September. Being located in the Southern Hemisphere, spring begins approximately at the end of this holiday week so it acts similarly to the American spring break. There is also a brief Easter break in March or April.Mexico
In Mexico, school usually ends in the second week of July and resumes the third week of August depending on what scheduling system a school uses, and whether it is high school or college. Christmas holiday is two weeks. Also there is the Easter recess which lasts for two weeks.United States
In the United States, there are typically 160-180 school days in a year; the exact number mainly depends on the state. (although school years at colleges and universities are often shorter). Private schools tend to have classes for 170 days each year. Here are the school holidays/breaks in the US (with the four main breaks underlined):=Event-based
= * '' Thanksgiving/Fall Holiday or Break'' – Occurs at the end of November. This holiday usually consists of the week of Thanksgiving – the day before Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Day, and the day after. Some areas have the Monday and Tuesday of the Thanksgiving week as regular days and take Wednesday as an early dismissal day; with Thanksgiving and the day after off. Other schools take the whole week off and have an early release on the Friday before the break. US Thanksgiving is on the fourth Thursday of November (occurs between November 22 and November 28), while Black Friday is on Friday after fourth Thursday of November (occurs between November 23 and November 29). US Thanksgiving depends on date, between November 22 and November 28: ** If the year ends on Sunday, Thanksgiving is on November 23, while Black Friday is on November 24. ** If the year ends on Monday, Thanksgiving is on November 22, while Black Friday is on November 23. ** If the year ends on Tuesday, Thanksgiving is on November 28, while Black Friday is on November 29. ** If the year ends on Wednesday, Thanksgiving is on November 27, while Black Friday is on November 28. ** If the year ends on Thursday, Thanksgiving is on November 26, while Black Friday is on November 27. ** If the year ends on Friday, Thanksgiving is on November 25, while Black Friday is on November 26. ** If the year ends on Saturday, Thanksgiving is on November 24, while Black Friday is on November 25. * ''=Season-based
= It is often believed that when the United States was a primarily agrarian society, children were needed during the Northern Hemisphere summer months for farm labor. However, there is little evidence supporting this, with 19th-century rural schools more typically favoring a summer academic term and more vacation time during spring and autumn. Summer is still a popular time for family vacations, and most have a two or three-month summer vacation. The academic year typically runs from August or early September until the end of May or early June, depending on the length of the year and number of the holiday, vacation, and snow days occurring during the year. The year is divided into two semesters, three trimesters or four quarters, typically with a report card issued to students' parents at the end of each. An academic year typically includes a fall and spring semester, with a shorter optional summer session. Many also have a short optional winter session. Some operate on a trimester calendar. Continuing education classes (often available at community colleges and private "boot camp" style schools) are often shorter and start throughout the year with no particular seasonality. * ''October Break'' – Usually lasts for one week in October (in the week of Columbus Day). See ''Columbus Day'' above. * ''Mid-Winter'' or ''February Break'' – One week in February (usually at or around President's Day) or March (depending on the region). * '' Spring Vacation or Break'' – See ''Easter Break'' above. * '' Summer Vacation or Break'' – Lasts for about 11–16 weeks, starting anywhere from late May to lateDuration
Public elementary and secondary schools averaged (at the state level) between 170 and 180 school days in the 2007–08 academic year. Different states have different legal minimum requirements for instructional days and hours per year.Asia
China
Summer holidays usually last from early July to end of August. The winter holiday usually lasts 1 month, and its time varies depending on the date of theHong Kong
In Hong Kong summer holidays last from mid-July to the end of August. Christmas, Lunar New Year and Easter holidays last usually for one and a half weeks.India
Most of India
There are many public holidays in India, depending on the region. Certain holidays are mandated across the nation. January 26 : Republic Day August 15 : Independence Day October 2 : Gandhi Jayanti (Birthday ofUAE (United Arab Emirates)
Main holidays The following are breaks usually seen in Dubai schools but other emirates also sometimes follow the Dubai holidays: Summer Break: Summer holiday is usually from the end of June/first of July to the end of August/first week of September. Diwali Break: Indian festivals likeIndonesia
In Indonesia, there are four main school holidays: * New school year holiday – known as ''libur kenaikan kelas'' (up-grading holiday), which usually takes place for 2–3 weeks between late June and early July. Dates may vary, depending on each province/region. The holiday starts from Monday of the first week to the Saturday of the last week of the break. * Mid-term holiday, is a break that aims to separate the two semesters of the Indonesian school year. It takes place for two weeks between late December and early January, coinciding with Christmas and New Year holidays. The starting and ending dates are the same as the new school year holiday. * Eid al-Fitr holiday (or lebaran holiday), which lasts for around two weeks. The date varies according to theIsrael
In Israel, the academic year is divided into two semesters. The first one begins in October (depending on the Hebrew calendar. Mostly a week or two after Simchat Torah), and it ends 13 weeks after in January. Then the next six weeks of January and February are dedicated to the first semester exams. Afterwards, in late February or early March, begins the second semester until mid- or late June. When the months of June and July are dedicated to the second semester exams while late testing can be by middle of August.Japan
In Japan, the new academic year starts on the second week of April. In most schools in Japan, there are four main breaks: two weeks from late March to early April (Spring), about a month from late July to the end of August (Summer), the Health & Sports Day weekend (Fall), and two weeks over the year-end and New Year period from late December to early January (Winter). There are some exceptions in northern Japan, where schools set a longer winter break, while cutting the summer one shorter. Additionally, there are 4 national holidays falling between 29 April and 5 May, sometimes called "Golden Week." Colleges/universities have the following breaks: * Summer/Fall break: Early August to early October * Winter break: Late December to early January * Spring break: Early February to early AprilKorea
In Korea, the school year starts at the beginning of March. Until 2015, schools followed a three-term system with a break at the end of each term, similar to the Japanese: * Term 1: Early March to mid/late July ** Summer break: Approximately 1 month * Term 2: Mid/late August to late December (with a brief Chuseok break interrupting this term) ** Winter break: Approximately 1 month * Term 3: 2 weeks in February ** Spring break: Approximately 2 weeks From 2015 onwards, the calendar was changed to a more quasi-Western styled one, having the year to end on January rather than February. * 1st quarter: March to early May ** Spring break: Approximately 1 week * 2nd quarter: Early/mid May to mid/late July ** Summer break: Approximately 1 month * 3rd quarter: Mid/late August to late September ** Chuseok/Fall break: Approximately 1 week * 4th quarter: October to early January ** Winter break: Approximately 2 months Colleges/universities get the following breaks: * Children's Day/Spring break: May 5 * Summer break: Mid-late June to August 31 * Chuseok/Fall break: 3–5 days in late September * Winter break: Mid-late December to February 28/29Malaysia
In Malaysia, there are 2 main semester holiday and an additional of mid-term break and year end holiday. The mid-year holidays last for two weeks, from late May until mid-June, in between the two school terms. The year-end holidays last for six weeks, from mid-November until early January, in between two school years. Each school term has a mid-term break; one week in March for the first semester and one week in the months of August or September (variable) for the second semester. Schools are closed on national and statePhilippines
In theSingapore
In Singapore, there are four school terms. Terms 1 and 2 are referred to as ''Semester 1'', as terms 3 and 4 are referred to as ''Semester 2''. Each term consists of ten school weeks. Term 1 starts the day immediately after New Year's Day. If the first school day is a Thursday or a Friday, it is not counted as a school week. After term 1, there is a break of a week, called the March Holidays. Thereafter, term 2 commences and is followed by a break of four weeks, the June Holidays. It is followed by term 3, after which there will be another break of one week, the September Holidays. Then, term 4 would start, and after it there is the December holidays, which would be either five or six weeks long, depending on whether the first week of the year was counted as a school week. Students are also given days off on public holidays, as well asTurkey
All public schools have following holidays: * January 1 – New Year * Winter Break (also called ''Midterm Break'' or ''15 Day Break'') – two weeks in late January or early February * April 23 – National Sovereignty and Children's Day * May 1 – Labour and Solidarity Day * May 19 – commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day * Summer Break – 13 weeks from early-mid-June to mid-September * August 30 – Victory Day (coincides with Summer Break most of the time) * October 29 – Republic Day (28 October is half day) There are Ramadan Feast (3 days) and Sacrifice Feast (4 days) holidays, but exact dates of these holidays change every year because Ramadan & Sacrifice Feasts are calculated according to Muslim calendar, resulting these feasts to be celebrated earlier by 10 or 11 days each year. If these feasts are at the middle of the week, then the break becomes a full week break with the Arafah (the day before the feast) day also included in the break. Starting from 2019, the Summer Break has been cut to 11 weeks and the following two breaks have been introduced: * Autumn Break – one week in mid-November * Spring Break – one week in mid-AprilAustralia and New Zealand
InEurope
Austria
In Austria, the summer holidays are usually between early July and early September. There is, with the exception of Vorarlberg andBelgium
For primary schools, the academic year in Belgium begins on the first weekday in September and ends on the last weekday in June, with the summer holiday comprising the entire months of July and August. Secondary schools and universities often close about a week earlier, as soon as school results have been processed and published. A week of autumn break is usually scheduled during the week of All Saints’ Day (November 1). The winter- or Christmas holiday lasts two weeks and encompasses both Christmas and New Year's Day. The dates for both the one-week spring break and the two-week Easter holiday vary. In catholic regions where carnival is celebrated, spring break usually takes place during the carnival week. To get al balance in school days between spring break and summer holiday, the two weeks of Easter holiday can take place with Easter both at the beginning, the middle or the end of the holiday period. In some cases, when Easter is at the complete end of the holiday, Easter Monday serves as an additional day off. However, in 2008 Belgium did not have the Easter Weekend inside its break due to the fact that Easter Sunday was on 23 March and schools broke up on the first weekend in April 2008 and had the two weeks then.Croatia
In Croatia, there can be anywhere from three to five major breaks throughout the school year at public schools, depending on the region. Regardless of the number of holidays a school decides to have, a school year must have a minimum of 175 working days, or 160 for students undertaking the final exam at the end of high school. * Summer break runs from mid-June (typically the 15th/16th) to early September (usually the first Monday in September), usually lasting for 11 weeks. * Winter (Christmas) break usually starts on December 24 (Christmas Eve) and ends in the first Monday after January 6. It lasts for 3 weeks in total. Some parts of the country have opted to split the winter holidays in two parts: the first part lasting for 2 weeks starting on Christmas Eve and encompassing Christmas and New Year, and the second part lasting for one week, usually the last week of February. * Spring (Easter) break lasts about 10 days, and encompasses Good Friday, Easter, Easter Monday, and the work week after or before Easter. Some schools have opted to shorten the winter holidays in exchange for an Autumn break, which typically lasts for one week around All Saints' Day (November 1). Other free days includeCzech Republic
In theDenmark
InEstonia
InFrance
French school holidays are scheduled each year by the Ministry of Education. This can lead to overcrowding in tourist resorts such as the Mediterranean coast and the ski resorts. To alleviate this problem, the holiday schedules are staggered by dividing the country into three zones. Despite these measures, the synchronized school holiday schedules still cause some crowding effects, as families head to popular holiday locations all at the same time. This can result in price increases and availability problems in some locations during the school holiday periods. Holidays are divided into three separate zones except for the first two holidays: All Saints and the Christmas / New Year.Germany
In Germany, ~75 week days of the year are school-free days. The exact dates are chosen by each of the 16 states, often in consultation with each other for reasons of planning and traffic management. The usual holiday blocks are: Christmas (~2 weeks), Easter (~2 weeks), Summer (6 weeks), Autumn (~2 weeks). Depending on the state, further holidays can be around Pentecost or in winter between the first and the second half of the school year.Greece
In Greece, there are three breaks throughout the school year at public schools. * Summer holidays run from June to September. Holidays begin between June 10 and 20, and end around September 11. * Christmas holidays begin around December 23 and end around January 8 (about 2 weeks). * Easter holidays last 2 weeks from Lazarus Saturday to Thomas Sunday (according to the Orthodox calculations) * There are also three 1-day national holidays: October 28, March 25 and November 17.Ireland
The dates for the start and the end of the school year at both primary and post-primary level are not fixed, but mid-year breaks are standardised. Due to the start of certificate exams, post-primary schools are usually not open for tuition after the Friday before the June public holiday (the first Monday in June) in any year. Primary schools must be open for a minimum of 182 days of tuition a year and for secondary schools that number is 166. First Day of School: The school year generally starts during the last few days of August or first few days of September. Return dates for Secondary schools are usually staggered depending on what year you are in. Halloween Break: Schools close for one week at the end of October for the midterm break. This break usually encompasses Halloween (October 31) Christmas Break: Schools close for two weeks at Christmas time. Those two weeks always encompass Christmas and New Year. Schools will close no later than December 23rd and reopen no earlier than January 4th. Spring Break: Schools close for another week in mid-February for the spring midterm. Easter Break: Schools close for two weeks for Easter. Schools generally close for Easter break on the Friday one week before Good Friday, and reopen on the Monday one week after Easter Monday. May/June Break: Some primary schools may take another week off in May or June, if they have not taken a full week off in February. Summer Holidays: Secondary schools generally finish for summer on the first Friday of June or the last Friday of May. Exam years will sit 1-3 weeks of State Exams during June. Primary schools will generally finish on 30 June, or the last friday of June for summer break.Italy
In Italy, most school holidays are determined by the Ministry of Education, and are valid for all public schools of every order and grade. There are Summer holidays from mid-June up to the second week of September, except for students taking final exams in Middle and Superior schools, as those exams can go on until mid-July. Christmas (Winter) holidays start on December 23 and end on the first or second working day after January 6; the summer holidays in Italy about 12 weeks, other holidays include one week around Easter (Spring) as well as one day on December 8 ( Feast of the Immaculate Conception), one day for November 1 ( All Saints (Autumn)), the national holidays of April 25 ( Liberation day) and June 2 ( Republic Day), as well as theLatvia
InLithuania
In Lithuania summer holiday for 9th and 11th grade begins a few days later than 10th and 12th grade students. This is due to exams for those grades. In the past, upper level Lithuanian students had around 70 days of holiday. However, now the holiday lasts almost three months.The Netherlands
In the Netherlands, summer holidays last for six weeks for all Schools, but often unofficially 7 for secondary schools. The country is divided into three regions which start their summer holidays one week after another. Summer holidays usually start in mid-July and end in late August. Dutch elementary and high school students also have a one-week autumn holiday in mid-October, two weeks ofNorth Macedonia
In North Macedonia, there are two breaks throughout the school year at public schools. * Summer break usually runs from June 10 to September 1. * Winter (Christmas) break starts after New Year's Eve (January 1) and ends usually after January 20. Other free days include theNorway
In Norway, school holidays vary by region. Generally, the school year starts around the third week of August. Most regions have a week off at the beginning of October (weeks 40 or 41). Christmas holidays start some days before Christmas Eve and end in the first week of January. There is one week of winter vacation in late February (weeks 8 or 9). Easter holiday is from Palm Sunday to Easter Monday or a day or two later, and Summer holidays begin some days before midsummer.Poland
All public schools have the following breaks/holidays (with the 5 main breaks underlined): * November 1 – All Saints Day, 1 day break * November 11 – Independence Day (Autumn), 1 day break * January 6 – the Epiphany, 1 day break * 1st Winter Break – Christmas Eve or the weekend before the first day of the school week after New Year's Day * 2nd Winter Break – two weeks in January or February (depending on region) * Easter (Spring) Break – Maundy Thursday to the Tuesday after Easter Monday * May Break – May 1 (Labor Day), May 2 (Polish Flag Day) and May 3 (Constitution of May 3) * Corpus Christi – four days in May or June (depending on the year) * Summer Break – first Saturday after June 20 to the end of August or early September (first school week day in September unless it falls on a Friday)Romania
Summer breaks run from late May-mid-June to early-mid-September and are around 13–15 weeks long. Pupils/students in the 8th and 12th grades usually enter summer break a week or two earlier than everyone else from other grades. Spring breaks are usually one to two weeks long, between late March and early May depending on the dates of both Orthodox and Catholic Easter. There can be two spring breaks if the Catholic and Orthodox Easter dates are very different. Winter break is three weeks long (it usually starts in the third or fourth week of December and it ends on the second or third Monday of January). There is also a one-week long fall break, which is usually between late October and early November; however, it was limited to pupils in preschool and primary education; everyone else had a full learning period between the summer and winter breaks. Starting from 2022, though, the fall break has been applied to middle and high schools, too. All academic years in Romania prior to the 2019–2020 school year used to have a second Winter break, which was often referred to as the "break between semesters" (''vacanță intersemestrială''), which would usually be in early February and have a duration of one-week, between the first and second semesters. From the 2019–2020 school year onwards (with the exception of the 2020–2021 school year), the start of the winter break marks the end of the first semester, with the beginning of the second semester immediately after the winter break. From 2022-2023, there is a break in February (however, this isn't between semesters), and the counties can decide each which week of February.Russian Federation
All public schools have the following holidays: * Winter Break – two weeks in January * Spring Break – one week in late March to early April * Fall Break – one week in late October to early November * Summer Break – from late May to September 1 * February 23 – Men's Day or Defender's Day * March 8 – International Women's Day * May 1 – Spring and Labour Day * May 9 – Victory Day * November 4 – Unity DaySlovakia
In Slovakia, summer holidays begin at the end of the school year on June 30 and end at the start of the school year in early September. The autumn holidays are at the end of October. The winter (Christmas) holidays usually last from December 23 to January 7. There is also a one-day half term holiday on January 31. The spring holidays are a week long and may be in February or March, depending on the region. Next are the Easter holidays (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Monday and Easter Tuesday). There are also free days such as May 1, May 8, September 1, September 15, and November 17. The school director is authorized to add up to three more free days during the school year. The school holidays are determined by the Ministry of Schools and are valid for every basic and high school.Slovenia
In Slovenia, summer holidays begin on June 24 (June 25 is National day, which is also a public holiday) and end on September 1. Other holidays are usually one week long, they expand if national holidays fall on the work days. The autumn holidays ("Krompirjeve počitnice" – "Potato holidays") begin around October 31, which is Reformation day and November 1 which is called "All Saints' Day". The New Year holidays usually start around Christmas and last until January 2. In the middle of February there are winter holidays, which are divided into two parts. In each part there are other Slovenian students who have holidays. The second part of the winter holiday usually ends at the end of February. The shortest holidays are First May holidays, and as their name suggests they begin on around May 1 (usually on April 27, which is Uprising Against the Occupation Day, which is also a national holiday) and last until May 2, which is also a national holiday. There are also free days such as February 8 (Slovenian cultural festival – Prešeren Day) and Easter Monday, and other national holidays like August 15 (Feast of the Assumption) fall on school holidays and are more important to adults. Students from the last year of primary and secondary schools usually start summer holidays one week earlier due to the final exams. These holidays are valid for primary and secondary schools only and are determined by the Ministry of Schools. University students, however, have summer holidays until October 1, however the exams from spring examination period can be after 25 June and the summer examination period starts in September. Usually students have only one other holiday and that is the New Year holiday but it depends on every single college which days will be free for students. For example, in 2015, most university students also had First May holidays. Short holidays usually begin after exams and depend on how good students are at their exams or how many exams they have taken for each term. Most of the time, university students have holidays on national holidays.Sweden
In Sweden, the school year starts around mid- or late August (September 1 at the universities). The week before All Saint's Day (taken as a Saturday around November 2) primary and secondary school students have an autumn holiday. Christmas holiday starts around December 19–20, depending on the day of the week on which Christmas Eve occurs. It usually ends some days after January 6, which is also a public holiday. In March, primary and secondary school students have one week of winter vacation; the exact week varies by location. Easter public holidays last four days from Friday to Monday. Easter school holidays are either the week preceding Easter or the week immediately following, depending on location. Primary and secondary school summer holidays last about ten weeks, starting in the second week of June.United Kingdom
School holidays in the United Kingdom follow a standard pattern, with a school year of 190 days of teaching, beginning with the Autumn Term, but the exact timing varies between countries and counties. Local authorities set term dates which apply to all Community, Voluntary Controlled, Community Special Schools and Maintained Nursery Schools. Academies, Free schools, Voluntary Aided schools and Foundation schools are able to choose their own dates but many follow the same dates as the Local Authority. Although these schools can set their own term dates, they are still required to open for the same length of time. Independent private schools tend to set longer holidays than state schools. In England and Wales, the academic year usually runs from the first week of September of one year through to the third week of July of the following year, with the time split up into three terms. Each of these is usually divided into halves with a week-long "half-term" break between. Primary (4-11) and secondary (11–16) schools usually follow a 39-week academic year, while further (16+) and higher (18+) educational establishments often have 33 or even 36-week terms, generally with no half-term break. Oxford and Cambridge universities have shorter terms still, usually eight weeks each term. For English state schools, the year commences the first week of September with a half-term break (one week) at the end of October, and the first term ending the third week of December. After a two-week holiday, encompassing Christmas and New Year, the second term runs from early January to Easter and is of variable length to allow for the movable feast. There is a half-term break around mid-February and two weeks of the Easter holidays, before the third and final term starts, lasting until the third week of July. The half-term break is at the end of May and students with exams will often finish their studies at that break and take exams during June and July. The summer holidays last for approximately six weeks, which was for a long time thought to be in order to allow children to help with the harvest. However, as the harvest usually takes place in late September this makes little sense. The six week break was to allow the middle-classes to take longer holidays. In Scotland, the summer break is earlier because of the different day lengths and agricultural practices there. Private schools may follow different terms, and some self-governing academies follow different termly structures.=England and Wales
= Summer holidays in State schools are usually between five and seven weeks long, starting in mid-late July and ending in early September. Schools have Christmas and Easter holidays, each usually lasting about two weeks. The school year is split up into three sections: Autumn term (between Summer and Christmas); Spring term (between Christmas and Easter); and Summer term (between Easter and the Summer holiday). Roughly half-way through each term, pupils will get one week off school, known as half-term. In the Autumn term, half-term often falls the week of Halloween and close to Bonfire Night. In the Spring term, half-term tends to fall the week of Valentine's Day. In the Summer term, half-term tends to be at the end of May with students returning the first Monday of June. Independent schools often have longer holidays including up to 10 weeks for Summer, but often have longer school days and sometimes lessons on Saturday mornings. See School Holidays in England for the impact of school holidays on tourism and life for parents and others.=Scotland
= In Scotland the academic year usually begins in the third week of August. In October, there are one or two weeks off, which is the half-way point between Summer and Christmas holidays. The Christmas holiday usually begins a few days before December 25 and ends a few days after January 5. There is up to a week off half-way through the Spring term and a two-week break for Easter. After Easter is Summer term and the 3rd half term break is the half-way point to the summer holidays. The summer holiday usually begins at the end of June for most pupils in primary 1–7 and secondary years 1–3. Years 4, 5, and 6 have a period of exam leave at the end of April until early June, but may return for the last few weeks before the summer holiday starts. It's usually 7–8 weeks.=Northern Ireland
= Schools in Northern Ireland have similar school holidays to those in the Republic of Ireland. Schools in Northern Ireland have shorter mid-term breaks than those in the rest of the UK and, to substitute, a longer summer holiday that includes the whole month of July and August.See also
* Academic termReferences
{{Authority control Academic terminology Types of year