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Academic year 2026/27

Orkney Islands School Holidays

The full 2026/27 school calendar for Orkney Islands schools. The new term starts 18 August 2026 and the year ends 2 July 2027. The summer holiday runs from 3 July 2027 to 17 August 2027 — 46 days. Orkney Islands has 4 in-service days when schools are closed to pupils for staff training.

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Orkney Islands school holidays 2026/27 — at a glance

October break
12 Oct – 23 Oct
Christmas
21 Dec – 4 Jan
February break
11 Feb – 15 Feb
Spring
29 Mar – 9 Apr
Summer
3 Jul – 17 Aug

Keep the Orkney Islands dates in your phone

Subscribe once and every Orkney Islands 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.

Orkney Islands term dates 2026/27: how the school year runs

Orkney Islands 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 18 August 2026 — the back-to-school date after the summer break — and the school year ends on 2 July 2027, with 6 school holidays and 4 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 15 February 2027.

Next door, the October week falls on Highland 12 Oct – 23 Oct and Shetland Islands 12 Oct – 23 Oct. Every council's October week is in one table.

Schools break up for Christmas on 21 December 2026 and the Christmas holiday runs to 4 January 2027. The Spring holiday runs from 29 March 2027 to 9 April 2027.

The summer holidays begin on 3 July 2027 — 46 days off before the new school year. Pupils go back for 2027/28 on 18 August 2027 — confirmed by Orkney Islands.

When do schools go back in Orkney Islands?

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 October Holiday
28 October 2026
After the Christmas Holiday
5 January 2027
After the February Holiday
17 February 2027
After the Spring Holiday
12 April 2027
After May Day
4 May 2027
After the May In-Service Day
1 June 2027

Academic year at a glance

Term time
Holiday
In-service day

Term dates summary

Autumn term

18 Aug – 9 Oct

39 school days

Winter term

28 Oct – 18 Dec

38 school days

Spring term

5 Jan – 26 Mar

55 school days

Summer term

12 Apr – 2 Jul

58 school days

PeriodStartsEndsDaysTypevs England
October Holiday12 October 202623 October 202612HolidayAligns with English half-term
October In-Service Days26 October 202627 October 20262In-service—
Christmas Holiday21 December 20264 January 202715HolidaySimilar dates to England
February Holiday11 February 202715 February 20275HolidayEngland takes a longer half-term week
February In-Service Day16 February 202716 February 20271In-service—
Spring Holiday29 March 20279 April 202712HolidayRoughly aligns with English Easter
May Day3 May 20273 May 20271HolidaySame across UK
May In-Service Day31 May 202731 May 20271In-service—
Summer Holiday3 July 202717 August 202746HolidayStarts 3–4 weeks earlier than England

Money & school admin for Orkney Islands parents

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

School clothing grant

£120–£150 per child

Orkney Islands 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: Orkney Islands school holidays 2027/28

Confirmed. These 2027/28 dates are taken from Orkney Islands’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 30 June 2028.

PeriodStartsEndsType
August In-Service Days16 August 202717 August 2027In-service
October Holiday11 October 202722 October 2027Holiday
October In-Service Day25 October 202725 October 2027In-service
Christmas Holiday22 December 20275 January 2028Holiday
February In-Service Day10 February 202810 February 2028In-service
February Holiday11 February 202814 February 2028Holiday
Spring Holiday3 April 202817 April 2028Holiday
May Day1 May 20281 May 2028Holiday
May In-Service Day2 May 20282 May 2028In-service
Summer Holiday1 July 202815 August 2028Holiday

Clothing grant

£120 – £150

Primary: £120 · Secondary: £150

Apply at Orkney Islands

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 Orkney Islands

Planning the Orkney Islands 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.

Some links here are affiliate links: if you buy or sign up through them we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what we recommend. How we fund EduSCOT.

Frequently asked questions

When do schools go back in Orkney Islands for 2026/27?

Schools in Orkney Islands return for the 2026/27 academic year on 18 August 2026. This is the official term-start date used by council-managed primary and secondary schools across Orkney Islands.

When is the October break in Orkney Islands 2026/27?

The October break in Orkney Islands — the October week — runs from 12 October 2026 to 23 October 2026 inclusive. Pupils go back to school on 28 October 2026.

When are the Christmas school holidays in Orkney Islands?

Orkney Islands schools close for the Christmas holiday from 21 December 2026, and pupils go back to school on 5 January 2027.

When is the spring holiday in Orkney Islands 2026/27?

The spring holiday in Orkney Islands runs from 29 March 2027 to 9 April 2027 inclusive. Pupils go back to school on 12 April 2027.

When does the summer holiday start in Orkney Islands?

Orkney Islands schools break up for the summer on 3 July 2027. The holiday runs to 17 August 2027, and pupils go back for 2027/28 on 18 August 2027, as confirmed by Orkney Islands.

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

Orkney Islands has 4 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

Orkney Islands 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 Orkney Islands's own published calendar. 2027/28 dates are also the council's published calendar.

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