When are the school holidays in Manchester 2026/27?
Across the school year, 5 of Manchester's breaks have a published return date and add up to 59 days off. That count includes weekends and leaves out the summer holidays — there is no return date for that break until the next year's calendar is published. The longest breaks are Christmas Holidays and Easter Holidays, at 16 days each. Separately from those breaks, Manchester closes schools for 2 more days during the year, which are not part of the total above.
Manchester City Council publishes term and holiday dates for the schools for which it is responsible. One feature worth checking carefully is the spring holiday, because it does not always sit directly around the Easter weekend.
In the published calendar for some academic years, Good Friday and Easter Monday appear as separate closure days and the longer spring break follows later.
If you are comparing Manchester with another local authority, check the actual published dates rather than assuming the Easter holiday falls in the same fortnight.
How Manchester differs from the other areas we cover
Councils set their own calendars, so the same holiday can fall in a different week a few miles away. These dates differ from those in at least one other area we cover.
- Term starts 1 Sept 2026 — 1 day earlier than Croydon and Enfield
- Easter Holidays start 3 Apr 2027 — 8 days later than Croydon, Enfield and Birmingham
- Back to school after Easter Holidays 19 Apr 2027 — 7 days later than Croydon, Enfield and Birmingham
- Summer Holidays start 23 Jul 2027 — 1 day later than Birmingham
- Good Friday — schools closed 26 Mar 2027 — a closure day outside the holidays here. Croydon, Enfield and Birmingham have the same day off, inside their school holiday rather than as a separate closure.
- Easter Monday — schools closed 29 Mar 2027 — a closure day outside the holidays here. Croydon, Enfield and Birmingham have the same day off, inside their school holiday rather than as a separate closure.
Compare all areas side by side →
Easter and the spring break can be separate
Manchester can publish a spring holiday that is separate from the Easter bank-holiday weekend. When that happens, schools still close for Good Friday and Easter Monday, with the longer break beginning later.
This can matter when coordinating childcare, travel or family plans with people in another area. The dates for the academic year, including any separate closure days, are listed above.
These are the dates Manchester City Council sets for the schools it maintains. Academies, free schools and foundation schools publish their own calendar and can differ — always check with your child's school before you rely on a date.