Summer is just around the corner. And if you haven’t mapped out the remainder of your annual leave yet, you’re not yet too late.
Whether you’ve got kids whose school dates dictate your whole calendar, or you’re just trying to make the summer feel like more than a period you happened to survive, getting ahead of your leave now matters – for you and the colleagues picking up while you’re gone. Here’s everything you need to maximise your annual leave for the warm season.
The Two Bank Holidays Anchoring Your Summer
England, Wales and Northern Ireland get three bank holidays between now and September. Scotland gets four. That’s one extra day for Scottish workers – and crucially, Scotland’s summer bank holiday falls on 3 August rather than 31 August (useful to know if you’re planning anything that crosses borders that month). If you’re based in Scotland, the leave calculations later in this piece work differently.
England, Wales & Northern Ireland
| Date | Day | Bank Holiday |
| 4 May | Monday | Early May bank holiday |
| 25 May | Monday | Spring bank holiday |
| 31 August | Monday | Summer bank holiday |
Scotland
| Date | Day | Bank holiday |
| 4 May | Monday | Early May bank holiday |
| 25 May | Monday | Spring bank holiday |
| 3 August | Monday | Summer bank holiday |
| 15 June | Monday | World Cup bank holiday |
Source: GOV.UK bank holidays
School Summer Holidays 2026 – England
School dates are set by individual local authorities, so they can vary. But the dates below cover the majority of state schools in England (check your council’s website to confirm yours) and can give you enough to start planning and making leave requests.
| Holiday | Typical start | Typical end | Length |
| May half term | Mon 25 May | Fri 29 May | 1 week |
| Summer holidays | Wed 22 July | Tue 1 September | ~6 weeks |
For Scotland: Check mygov.scot
For Northern Ireland: Check education-ni.gov.uk
How to Get 9 Days Off in August Using 4 Days of Leave
The August bank holiday lands on Monday 31 August. The week before, schools are still out. Book Tuesday 1 to Friday 4 September and you’ve joined your bank holiday to a working week – giving you nine consecutive days off for just four days of leave (Saturday 29 Aug to Sunday 6 Sep inclusive).
Prefer to go the other direction? Book Monday 24 to Friday 28 August instead, and the bank holiday on the 31st extends your break to 10 days off for five days of leave.
| What you book | Days of leave used | Total days off |
| Tue 1 Sep – Fri 4 Sep | 4 days | 9 days (Sat 29 Aug – Sun 6 Sep) |
| Mon 24 Aug – Fri 28 Aug | 5 days | 10 days (Sat 23 Aug – Mon 31 Aug) |
The earlier you put your request in at your job, the better your chances of having your holiday approved. August leave requests are competitive. Most managers work on a first-come, first-served basis.
Whether you lead an SME or work for one, it’s also worth being upfront with your team about your summer plans, rather than drip-feeding requests. It gives the business time to plan cover, makes your request easier to approve and avoids awkward conversations closer to the date.
For Parents: How to Spread Your Leave Across the School Summer
Most people probably take the conundrum of having six weeks of school holidays and a finite number of annual leave days for granted before they have kids, but there are some useful methods of getting around it that can be handy for years to come.
The average UK statutory leave allowance is 28 days, including bank holidays. Once you’ve used the bank holidays that fall throughout the year – there are eight in England and Wales in 2026 – you’re left with around 20 discretionary days to allocate.
For parents and caregivers trying to cover the six-week summer, here’s a realistic split:
| Period | Days needed | Notes |
| May half term (25-29 May) | 2-4 days | Use the Spring bank holiday on 25 May to reduce this to 2-3 days actual leave |
| Summer holidays, first half (22 Jul – 7 Aug) | 5-10 days | Heaviest demand, book early |
| Summer holidays, second half (10-28 Aug) | 5-8 days | Combine with August bank holiday hack above |
| Buffer for illness, emergencies | 2-3 days | Don’t plan every day – you’ll need this |
If you’re part of a two-parent household that works and shares cover, the logistics can be a little more manageable. But if you’re doing it solo, you’re running out of time to have an honest conversation with your manager about flexibility. The sooner you bring it up, the better.
The One Thing Most People Forget
The merits of a staycation can be lost on us, sometimes. But the good thing about annual leave is that you can use it however you want.
While some people prefer to hoard days for big trips, for others, a day off mid-week, at home, with nothing booked and nothing to catch up on, is still a day off worth having.
Whether you’re squeezing what you can out of the sunnier months, or considering how to plan your summer next year, the key is to plan early, loosely and intelligently.
Bank holiday dates sourced from GOV.UK. School holiday dates vary by local authority – check your council’s website for confirmed dates.
