Essential Information - Holidays

In Briton you don't get a lot of holidays compared with other developed countries. But now things have definitely got a lot better than they were, before the Bank Holidays Act was passed in 1871. Until then employers only allowed their workers to take off Christmas Day and Good Friday.

Public Holidays

Most attractions and businesses close for a couple of days over Christmas, and those that normally shut on Sunday will probably do so on Bank Holiday Mondays.

New Year's Day 1 January
Good Friday/Easter Monday late March/April
May Day Holiday first Monday in May
Spring Bank Holiday last Monday in May
Summer Bank Holiday last Monday in August
Christmas Day/Boxing Day 25 & 26 December

School Holidays

These change from year to year and often from school to school. Moreover, public (i.e. private) school holidays tend to differ from those of state schools. As a general rule, however:

Summer holiday late July-early September
Autumn half term last week of October
Christmas holidays 20 December-6 January
Spring half term one week in mid-February
Easter holidays two weeks either side of Easter Sunday
Summer half term one week end of May/early June