West Lothian school holidays for 2025/26 set

Education Executive agreed a new calendar ensuring all pupils receive the statutory 190 teaching days per year.

It will also allow parents and carers to plan for future childcare and holidays.

Executive councillor for education Andrew McGuire said: "We are delighted to confirm school term dates for 2025/26.

"We appreciate it is not always possible to suit everyone's preference, we believe this represents the best possible option for West Lothian families.

"The West Lothian Parent Forum, individual school Parent Councils and Pupil Councils were consulted on proposed dates."

Pupils will return to school on Wednesday 13 August 2025, before breaking on Thursday 18 September for a long weekend. School resumes for pupils on Tuesday 23 September, stopping for the October holidays on Friday 17 October.

Schools will welcome pupils back in from Tuesday 28 October until the break for the Christmas holidays on Friday 19 December.

Pupils are back in school on Monday 5 January 2026 until Friday 6 February.  They return to school on Tuesday 17 February until the Easter break starts on Friday 27 March.

Schools resume on Tuesday 14 April, until Friday 1 May. Pupils resume on Wednesday 6 May, with one further day closure, which is Monday 18 May for most of West Lothian, except Bathgate Academy cluster schools, which are closed on Monday 8 June, and Linlithgow Academy cluster schools, which are closed on Tuesday 16 June.

Schools then break for the summer holidays on Friday 26 June 2025.

Five in-service days for staff will take place on Monday 11 August, Tuesday 12 August and Monday 27 October in 2025, and Monday 16 February and Tuesday 5 May in 2026.

Education Executive also agreed to launch a consultation in the future to further inform the process of setting term dates for the 2026/27 school year. Details of this process will be released in due course.

For more details, please visit https://www.westlothian.gov.uk/school-holidays-25-26