Sheffield school holidays 2023/2024: full list of term dates and breaks - including Easter and Christmas

With January well under way, parents in Sheffield are eager to begin planning their upcoming holidays with their children. Knowing when their breaks are in advance would be helpful to accommodate in their plans as there are various school holidays that they can use to get some time off.

As more schools and local councils are becoming more strict about children’s absence from school without a valid reason, parents therefore need to carefully plan their holidays around the school calendar or risk being fined.

Sheffield City Council has now released the latest term dates for all schools across the city, that include Easter, October half-term and Christmas. With more bank holidays in store this year, it would be good to know when you can bring your children for some getaway.

So when do children in Sheffield break up for their holidays and what are their term dates for the rest of the year? Here is everything you need to know.

Who sets the term dates?

Sheffield City Council is responsible for setting the term dates for the schools. However, academies and free schools have the authority to determine their own schedules and it is best for you to contact them directly for information on their term dates.

Below are the term breaks for 2023/2024 in full.

• September 4 (Monday) - First day of school
• October 23 (Monday) to October 27 (Friday) - Autumn half-term holidays
• December 25 (Monday) to January 5 (Friday) - Christmas holidays
• February 12 (Monday) to February 16 (Friday) - Spring half-term holidays
• March 29 (Friday) to April 12 (Friday) - Spring holidays
• May 27 (Monday) to May 31 (Friday) - Summer half-term holidays
• July 24 - Summer holidays

Can I take family holidays during term time?

According to the Sheffield City Council, schools will not normally give a family permission to take pupils out of school for holidays during term-time. This means that if your child is off school because you are away on holiday the school will record this as an unauthorised absence.

The decision about the penalties to be applied in the event of an unauthorised absence rests with the educational authorities. However, there are circumstances where permission might be given for a holiday during term-time, including:

• A family needs time together to recover from distress.
• A family holiday is restricted to term-time because of the parent’s job (for example a parent is in the armed services or emergency services).
• There are other circumstances considered to be exceptional.

Visit Sheffield City Council website for more information on their attendance policy and procedure.