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Academic year 2026/27

Fife School Holidays

The full 2026/27 school calendar for Fife schools. The new term starts 19 August 2026 and the year ends 2 July 2027. The summer holiday runs from 5 July 2027 to 13 August 2027 — 40 days. Fife has 5 in-service days when schools are closed to pupils for staff training.

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Fife school holidays 2026/27 — at a glance

October break
12 Oct – 23 Oct
Christmas
23 Dec – 5 Jan
February break
11 Feb – 12 Feb
Spring
26 Mar – 9 Apr
Summer
5 Jul – 13 Aug

Keep the Fife dates in your phone

Subscribe once and every Fife holiday and in-service day sits in your own calendar — 2026/27 and 2027/28, from the council’s published calendars — and it updates by itself if the council changes a date. No council offers this feed; the dates are the same ones on this page.

Add to Google CalendarSubscribe in Apple Calendar or Outlookor download the .ics file

On an iPhone the Apple button opens Calendar and asks you to confirm the subscription; on a desktop it may ask which calendar app to use. Google Calendar adds the feed under “Other calendars” and re-reads it within a day or so.

Fife term dates 2026/27: how the school year runs

Fife Council sets the school term dates and holiday dates for every council-run primary and secondary school in the area. For 2026/27, term starts on 19 August 2026 — the back-to-school date after the summer break — and the school year ends on 2 July 2027, with 7 school holidays and 5 in-service days in between.

The October week — the autumn mid-term break — runs from 12 October 2026 to 23 October 2026. The February mid-term break falls on 11 February 2027 to 12 February 2027.

Next door, the October week falls on City of Edinburgh 12 Oct – 19 Oct, Dundee City 12 Oct – 23 Oct, Perth and Kinross 12 Oct – 23 Oct and Clackmannanshire 12 Oct – 23 Oct. Every council's October week is in one table.

Schools break up for Christmas on 23 December 2026 and the Christmas holiday runs to 5 January 2027. The Spring holiday runs from 26 March 2027 to 9 April 2027.

The summer holidays begin on 5 July 2027 — 40 days off before the new school year. Pupils go back for 2027/28 on 18 August 2027 — confirmed by Fife.

When do schools go back in Fife?

Pupil return dates after each 2026/27 break and in-service day, with weekends already accounted for — the day your child is actually back in class.

After the August In-Service Days
19 August 2026
After the October Holiday
26 October 2026
After the November In-Service Day
16 November 2026
After the Christmas Holiday
6 January 2027
After the February Holiday
15 February 2027
After the Spring Holiday
12 April 2027
After May Day
4 May 2027
After the May In-Service Day
7 May 2027
After the June Holiday
8 June 2027

Academic year at a glance

Term time
Holiday
In-service day

Term dates summary

Autumn term

19 Aug – 9 Oct

38 school days

Winter term

26 Oct – 22 Dec

41 school days

Spring term

6 Jan – 25 Mar

54 school days

Summer term

12 Apr – 2 Jul

57 school days

PeriodStartsEndsDaysTypevs England
August In-Service Days17 August 202618 August 20262In-service—
October Holiday12 October 202623 October 202612HolidayAligns with English half-term
November In-Service Day13 November 202613 November 20261In-service—
Christmas Holiday23 December 20265 January 202714HolidaySimilar dates to England
February In-Service Day10 February 202710 February 20271In-service—
February Holiday11 February 202712 February 20272HolidayEngland takes a longer half-term week
Spring Holiday26 March 20279 April 202715HolidayRoughly aligns with English Easter
May Day3 May 20273 May 20271HolidaySame across UK
May In-Service Day6 May 20276 May 20271In-service—
June Holiday7 June 20277 June 20271Holiday—
Summer Holiday5 July 202713 August 202740HolidayStarts 3–4 weeks earlier than England

Money & school admin for Fife parents

While you have the calendar open, three things worth sorting for the year ahead.

School clothing grant

£130–£160 per child

Fife pays a school clothing grant — check if you qualify and how to claim it.

Clothing grant guide
Catchment checker

Which school is yours?

Enter your postcode to find your catchment school and confirm your council.

Open the checker
Scottish Child Payment

£28.20/week per child

A weekly payment for every child under 16 in families on qualifying benefits.

Check eligibility

Looking ahead: Fife school holidays 2027/28

Confirmed. These 2027/28 dates are taken from Fife’s own published calendar. Where the council has not yet published the following August’s return date, the end of the summer holiday is estimated from the usual pattern.

Term starts 18 August 2027 and ends 29 June 2028.

PeriodStartsEndsType
August In-Service Days16 August 202717 August 2027In-service
October Holiday11 October 202722 October 2027Holiday
November In-Service Day12 November 202712 November 2027In-service
Christmas Holiday23 December 20275 January 2028Holiday
February In-Service Day9 February 20289 February 2028In-service
February Holiday10 February 202811 February 2028Holiday
Spring Holiday3 April 202814 April 2028Holiday
May Day1 May 20281 May 2028Holiday
June Holiday5 June 20285 June 2028Holiday
June In-Service Day6 June 20286 June 2028In-service
Summer Holiday30 June 202811 August 2028Holiday

Clothing grant

£130 – £160

Primary: £130 · Secondary: £160

Apply at Fife

Council links

Nearby councils

Need childcare during the holidays? Holiday clubs, childminders, costs — and what the 1,140 funded hours cover outside term time.
See options Nurseries in Fife

Planning the Fife holidays

You have the dates. Here is the rest of the decision.

Days outOur sister site TripSCOT covers family days out and free museums across Scotland — with train fares and honest costs.
Family days out Free museums
Somewhere to walkOutdoorSCOT’s family walks — easy waterfall trails, forest circuits and very small hills children will actually finish.
Family-friendly walks
Cover for the working weeksHoliday clubs, what funded hours do and don’t cover in the holidays, and what it costs.
Funded hours in the holidays Holiday childcare

Getting away in the school holidays?

Search dates and destinations for a break around the school holidays.

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Frequently asked questions

When do schools go back in Fife for 2026/27?

Schools in Fife return for the 2026/27 academic year on 19 August 2026. This is the official term-start date used by council-managed primary and secondary schools across Fife.

When is the October break in Fife 2026/27?

The October break in Fife — the October week — runs from 12 October 2026 to 23 October 2026 inclusive. Pupils go back to school on 26 October 2026.

When are the Christmas school holidays in Fife?

Fife schools close for the Christmas holiday from 23 December 2026, and pupils go back to school on 6 January 2027.

When is the spring holiday in Fife 2026/27?

The spring holiday in Fife runs from 26 March 2027 to 9 April 2027 inclusive. Pupils go back to school on 12 April 2027.

When does the summer holiday start in Fife?

Fife schools break up for the summer on 5 July 2027. The holiday runs to 13 August 2027, and pupils go back for 2027/28 on 18 August 2027, as confirmed by Fife.

How many in-service days does Fife have in 2026/27?

Fife has 5 published in-service days in the 2026/27 academic year. On an in-service day schools are closed to pupils but staff are in for training and planning.

Related guides

Fife schools & grantsSeptember weekend dates by councilBack to school checklistSchool clothing grantsFree school mealsP7 to S1 transitionSummer holiday childcareFunded childcare (1,140 hours)Early years & childcare hub

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2026/27 dates are Fife's own published calendar. 2027/28 dates are also the council's published calendar.

Always confirm with Fife before booking holidays, flights or childcare. See our editorial policy for how we source this data.