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Samantha Buckland, a single mother from Reigate, Surrey, is preparing for a challenging upcoming fortnight as her seven-year-old son’s school has adopted a two-week half term. Balancing two jobs—teaching medical students at a hospital in Brighton and working at a vintage shop in Reigate—Buckland relies on universal credit and is anxious about managing childcare costs during the school closure. “What I’m trying to do is find out who I can get childcare from and work around that,” she explains. “I’d like to work, I need money. It’s not cheap to live these days.” Alongside financial concerns, Buckland faces the difficulty of organizing fragmented childcare. Although a local holiday club is available, it operates only for one of the two weeks, a situation that has upset many parents. To cope, she is considering seeking help from family or arranging to share childcare duties with another parent.
While most local councils in England maintain the traditional one-week half term, some areas, including Nottinghamshire, Bromley, and the Isle of Wight, have opted for a two-week break in the 2026/27 school year. The BBC gathered opinions from parents with varied experiences: some appreciate the longer break for reasons such as affordable holidays and positive educational impacts on their children, whereas others find the extended time off puts additional pressure on family life and childcare arrangements, especially following the lengthy summer vacation. Not all schools within a local authority necessarily follow these dates, as academies and faith schools frequently have autonomy over their term times. In devolved nations, such as Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, school calendars differ, with some schools in Scotland and Northern Ireland having introduced two-week half terms, although Wales has paused plans for this change.
The rise of academies, now attended by over 60% of pupils in England, has contributed to an increasingly fragmented school calendar, complicating matters for families. Alistair Pringle from Washington, Tyne and Wear, describes the challenge his family faces: his 11-year-old attends a secondary academy with a two-week half term, while his six-year-old goes to a primary academy observing just one week off. “This is the first time we’ve had to deal with different half terms,” he says. While his employer offers some flexibility for remote work, Pringle worries about how productive or beneficial the second week off may be for his older child, asking, “Yes, my eldest would be at home and she’d be looked after, but what’s she getting out of that second week?” For parents paid hourly or those with less flexible jobs—such as in hospitals or retail—the demands of a two-week break can be particularly difficult to manage.
Teachers tend to view the longer breaks more favorably. Lucy Walker-Etchells, a teacher at Dixons Brooklands Academy in Manchester, which recently introduced a two-week half term, prefers the extended pause during the intense autumn term. She notes, “Most teachers would agree because autumn is an intense term. It’s really nice to have two weeks to recharge and come back feeling refreshed.” She also highlights potential benefits for students, particularly vulnerable ones, who might struggle with the long six-week summer holiday. Additionally, a school trust in eastern England found strong staff support for the change, reporting a notable reduction in staff sickness and improved morale. For some parents, like Fay Harding from Nottingham, a synchronized two-week break for all family members allows them to avoid childcare costs and enjoy extended holidays at less expensive times. However, Buckland’s experience illustrates the mixed impact, acknowledging benefits for children but also emphasizing the complexities of securing childcare during longer breaks
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