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School holidays could vary across Wales as councils can't agree

Jordan Davies & Catriona Aitken
BBC News
Getty Images The back of a classroom with a female teacher with blonde hair and wearing a red dress stood in front of a white board. In front of her you came see the back of six pupils who are wearing white shirts and have their hands in the air.Getty Images
If the councils went ahead with their preferred dates, some families could have children at different schools with different school holidays

Parents could face difficulties with childcare and booking holidays as councils across Wales fail to agree on school term dates.

Thirteen councils, including Cardiff and Wrexham want the 2027 spring half term to begin in early February, but nine others, including Swansea and Newport want it to begin a week later.

If this arrangement goes ahead, schools in neighbouring council areas would have different holiday dates, meaning families with siblings in different schools could be off at different times.

A consultation, published in early March, stated the Welsh government was considering using its powers to force schools to use the same dates.

If all local authorities proceeded with their preferred dates, schools in the following authorities would have half term between 8 and 12 February 2027, and break up for Easter on 19 March:

  • Anglesey
  • Bridgend
  • Cardiff
  • Ceredigion
  • Conwy
  • Denbighshire
  • Flintshire
  • Gwynedd
  • Merthyr Tydfil
  • Powys
  • Rhondda Cynon Taf
  • Vale of Glamorgan
  • Wrexham

Meanwhile, these authorities would take their half term from 15 to 19 February, with Easter holidays starting on 25 March:

  • Blaenau Gwent
  • Caerphilly
  • Carmarthenshire
  • Monmouthshire
  • Neath Port Talbot
  • Newport
  • Pembrokeshire
  • Swansea
  • Torfaen
A graphic showing which counties want which dates for spring half term 2027. A map of Wales has Anglesey, Bridgend, Cardiff, Ceredigion, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Merthyr Tydfil, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Vale of Glamorgan and Wrexham highlighted in light blue to correspond with 8-12 February 2027. Meanwhile Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Carmarthenshire, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Pembrokeshire, Swansea and Torfaen are shaded in a darker turquoise to correspond with 15-19 February 2027.

In addition, Powys council wants to start its summer holidays on 16 July 2027 - a few days earlier than either of the groups - before the start of the Royal Welsh Show, and make up for it by finishing the autumn term later than those in other areas.

"Having considered all the information, the Welsh ministers are minded to issue the direction subject to the results of this consultation," the consultation document stated.

The Welsh government has proposed standardising the dates in line with the group which has more schools in it - so the February half term for all schools would run from 8 to 12 February 2027 and Easter holidays would start on 19 March 2027.

But it would allow Powys its earlier summer finish arrangements due to ministers' "very high regard for the significant cultural and economic value of the Royal Welsh Show".

"We consider harmonised dates will also benefit the tourism sector. We consider that those policy imperatives outweigh the desire to have different spring breaks taking into account the reasons that were given by the local authorities," it said.

A woman with tied-back brown hair and glasses, wearing a black t-shirt and gold necklace, holding a toddler in a green t-shirt who is looking away from the camera. They are stood on a path with a town centre and a canal behind them
Natasha Butt says there could be financial consequences for families of having varying school holidays across Wales

Natasha Butt, 33, from Cardiff said varying holidays could "make it more difficult for parents if they've got two children in two different schools".

She said parents could risk fines if they booked a holiday which only fit with one of their children's school terms, and may also have to pay extra for childcare.

"It's going to make a mess of it all to be honest," she said.

Emma Prothero from Caerphilly added the financial hit could extend to family days out being more expensive.

The 34-year-old said: "Discounts are normally in school holidays - for example farms and things, they're not going to do it across the board, they're going to do it on a certain two-week period."

Anyone wanting to respond to the consultation has until 25 May 2025 to do so.