East Lothian school holidays 2026/27
Read from East Lothian council's own term-dates page, last on 3 October 2026. The source is here, so you can check every date below against it. They cover the 41 schools in East Lothian, though academies and independent schools can set their own; the finder on the home page shows what we hold for a particular school.
How East Lothian differs
- The October half term in East Lothian starts 14 days earlier and runs 1 day longer than in most of England.
- The Christmas holiday in East Lothian runs 1 day longer than in most of England.
- The February half term in East Lothian runs 1 day longer than in most of England.
- The Easter holiday in East Lothian starts 8 days later than in most of England.
- The Summer holiday in East Lothian starts 22 days earlier and runs 6 days longer than in most of England.
That matters for flights: a break that starts a day earlier or runs a week longer puts different days on the table, and the day you leave is often worth hundreds.
The dates
| Holiday | First day off | Last day off | Can fly | Versus most of England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October half term | Sat 10 Oct | Mon 19 Oct | Sat 10 Oct – Mon 19 Oct | 14d earlier, 1d longer |
| Christmas holidays | Sat 19 Dec | Mon 4 Jan | Sat 19 Dec – Mon 4 Jan | 1d longer |
| February half term | Sat 13 Feb | Mon 22 Feb | Sat 13 Feb – Mon 22 Feb | 1d longer |
| Easter holidays | Sat 3 Apr | Mon 19 Apr | Sat 3 Apr – Mon 19 Apr | 8d later |
| Summer holidays | Wed 30 Jun | Sun 15 Aug | Wed 30 Jun – Sun 15 Aug | 22d earlier, 6d longer |
East Lothian publishes 5 of the six breaks on its page; the rest of the year follows the national pattern until the council publishes it.
“Can fly” adds the weekend either side where nobody is in school. The weekday and the Sunday are usually the cheapest days of the break to leave on.
Flights for these dates
Families in East Lothian mostly fly from Edinburgh, Ingliston, Edinburgh (20 miles), Glasgow (61 miles), Glasgow Prestwick, Prestwick, South Ayrshire (74 miles) and Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear (79 miles). We price the same trip across every day of each break above, from each of them, to hundreds of places families actually book, and email you when a fare is worth a look.
Find your school and see the prices
Schools in East Lothian
41 schools use these dates unless they set their own, including Blindwells Primary School in Blindwells, Dunbar Grammar School in Dunbar, East Linton Primary School in East Linton. Type any of them into the finder for its own calendar.