Education Executive agreed a new calendar to ensure all pupils receive the statutory 190 teaching days per year, and allow parents/carers to plan for future childcare and holidays.
There will also be one change to the 2025/26 school term dates, with the in-service date changed from Tuesday 5 May 2026 to Thursday 7 May to coincide with the expected Scottish Parliament
Election date.
A consultation was carried out last October over term dates for 2026/27, which saw over 11,000 responses from parent/carers, pupils, teacher and non-teaching staff.
There was no consensus between the options given, with the format of six weeks holiday in the summer and one week at both February and October proving most popular with 43% of recipients.
This proposal was supported by Education Executive so the term dates for 2026/27 have been set as follows:
Pupils will return to school on Wednesday 12 August 2026, with everyone off for a long weekend on Monday 21 September.
School resumes on Tuesday 22 September, stopping for the October week holiday on Friday 16 October. Schools will welcome pupils back in from Tuesday 27 October until the break for the Christmas holidays on Friday 18 December.
Everyone returns to school on Tuesday 5 January 2027 until Friday 5 February for the February week break. Pupils return to school on Tuesday 16 February until breaking for Easter on Thursday 25 March.
Schools resume on Monday 12 April, with everyone off for the May public holiday on Monday 3 May. Pupils are also off on Thursday 6 May 2027 for the local government elections.
Pupils will also be off for a one further local holiday, which will be Monday 24 May for the majority of West Lothian.
This excludes all Bathgate schools with the exception of Windyknowe Primary, who will be closed on Monday 7 June following Bathgate Procession, and all Linlithgow-area schools, which will be closed on Tuesday 15 June for Linlithgow Marches.
In-service days for staff during the 2026/27 term will be on Monday and Tuesday, 10 and 11 August 2026, Monday 26 October, Monday 15 February 2027 and Thursday 6 May.
It also not possible to align our holiday dates with those of all our neighbouring authorities, as they all set slightly different dates.
For more information on West Lothian school terms, please visit Schools, Early Learning and Childcare Terms and Holidays
