Term dates and school holidays

Schools are open for 200 days per year less five days (known as Baker Days) when they are closed for staff training and five optional closure days.

Baker Training Days and School Development Days

Schools are expected to hold the optional closure days in reserve to cover such things as building work and church holidays. In addition to the Baker Training Days, School Development Days are available to schools to give teachers time to work on school improvement matters.

Between 2010/2011 and 2014/2015 schools will have five Development Days available each year.

Teaching time

Full-time teachers work 195 days in any year and should be teaching children in a classroom for no more than 190 days. This may be reduced to 185 days if a school uses all its School Development Days

Holidays

School holiday dates are agreed annually by a group representing all school sectors. However, there can be variations between schools, as Principals and Boards of Governors can decide to use some of their optional closure days to extend agreed holidays.

The days used for Baker Days and School Development Days will vary across schools.

Term dates for schools near you

You can find out the school term dates on the Department of Education website:

Department of Education website

Taking children on holiday during term

Keeping your children off school during term should be avoided if possible. It is the legal duty of parents and carers to ensure their child’s regular attendance at school.

Missing school upsets children’s education and may affect their relationships within the school. If you take them on holiday during term-time your child may miss important tests or exams.

The majority of family holidays taken during term time will be categorised as an unauthorised absence.

In very exceptional circumstances schools may authorise a family holiday for example when it may be judged to important to the well-being and cohesion of the family, following serious or terminal illness, bereavement, or other traumatic events.

You should discuss this with the Principal as only the school can permit such an absence. Do not expect your child’s school to agree the absence, as they may have a policy that states all term-time holidays are counted as absences.