How many weeks are there in a school year?

IN the UK children are required to attend school for a certain number of weeks each academic year.

With over ten million children in education across the nation, it's important for parents and guardians to know how many weeks a typical school year consists of.

How many weeks are there in a typical school year in England?

Each school year is made up of 39 weeks, or 195 days.

These weeks are split over three main terms, which are then split again into half-terms.

Term times and the school holidays vary depending on when Easter occurs, but typically pupils go no longer than seven weeks without a break from school.

Autumn term typically runs from September until the end of December.

Spring term runs from January until late March or early April and summer term starts from late April until the middle or end of July.

Is it different in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland?

For most schools in England and Wales, the school term times will be similar.

However, dates will vary for educational institutions in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Scotland

In Scotland, each local authority sets its own terms and school holidays.

The school year typically lasts for 38 weeks, totalling 190 days, and is also divided into three terms.

They have a different set of bank holidays - or national holidays - to England, and in some areas the schools have a break in February.

Wales

The school year in Wales is similar to England in the way it is structured.

But, like Scotland, Wales has just 190 days over 39 weeks in any given school year.

In Wales, the school year is split in to three terms six weeks apart, with the school holidays in between.

Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, there are an extra five days in each school year, taking the total up to 200 and 40 weeks of term time.

They also take different holidays, which are agreed by school sectors each year.

A typical school year begins at the start of September until the end of June.

How many inset days are there?

Schools in England, Wales and Scotland are required to have five inset days per year.

In Northern Ireland, inset days are included during the 200 school days.

Inset stands for "In-Service Training".

On these days, pupils do not have to attend school and lessons are not run, but staff are expected to attend for extra training or administrative purposes.

Inset days have been in use since they were introduced in 1988 by MP Kenneth Baker, and are used so teachers can learn new skills, perform admin tasks, or catch up with marking.

How many weeks do kids get off for summer, Christmas, and Easter?

Alongside the week-long half-term holidays, pupils also enjoy a two-week Christmas break, another two weeks off in spring for Easter, and six weeks off in the summer.

The Christmas break usually begins around December 20 and runs until about January 6 - depending on days of the week and the school your child attends.

The spring, or Easter, break usually begins around March 27 and runs until about April 14.

And the summer holiday typically begins around July 23 and runs for six weeks, to around September 4.

We recommend you visit the government website or contact your child's school directly for exact term times.