Our findings

Where Bristol’s schools put their inset days, and what that’s worth

We checked 148 Bristol state schools for 2026/27. 107 publish their inset days, and most of them line up with the same few dates. Here’s where they fall, and what we found when we priced trips around them. See Bristol’s 2026/27 term dates.

James Cook · 15 October 2026 · 3 min read

By James CookA parent in Bristol who checks every date and price on this site by hand.About →

Nearly three in four Bristol schools that list their inset days are closed on Monday 4 January

78of 107

It’s the first day back after Christmas. Flying home from Bristol that Monday instead of the Sunday was up to 43% less in our checks (family of 4, Oct 2026).

Inset day on Mon 4 JanOpen

Source: Inset Offset survey of 148 Bristol state schools; 107 list their inset days. Checked 14 Oct 2026. Saving: Prices checked Oct 2026, family of 4, same booking on both dates.

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Where the inset days fall

Shade each school day by how many of the schools we checked close for an inset day and the pattern is obvious: the insets crowd the edges of the holidays, not the middle of term.

The 2026/27 school year, shaded by inset days

Darker green means more schools closed that day. Hover or tap a day.

The numbers

Inset day	Schools	Share of 107	Where it falls
Thu 3 Sep 2026	85	79%	first days of term
Fri 4 Sep 2026	80	75%	first days of term
Mon 4 Jan 2027	78	73%	next to Christmas
Mon 22 Feb 2027	36	34%	next to February half-term
Fri 23 Oct 2026	32	30%	next to October half-term
Mon 2 Nov 2026	30	28%	next to October half-term
Fri 12 Feb 2027	20	19%	next to February half-term
Mon 12 Apr 2027	19	18%	next to Easter
Tue 1 Sep 2026	17	16%	first days of term
Thu 22 Oct 2026	16	15%	two days before October half-term
Fri 2 Jul 2027	15	14%	during term
Wed 2 Sep 2026	13	12%	first days of term
Fri 25 Jun 2027	13	12%	during term
Fri 23 Jul 2027	13	12%	last days of term
Mon 23 Nov 2026	12	11%	during term
Fri 27 Nov 2026	11	10%	during term
Mon 7 Jun 2027	10	9%	next to May half-term
Mon 30 Nov 2026	9	8%	during term
Tue 5 Jan 2027	9	8%	two days after Christmas
Mon 1 Feb 2027	9	8%	during term
Fri 16 Oct 2026	8	7%	during term
Fri 29 Jan 2027	8	7%	during term
Thu 25 Mar 2027	6	6%	next to Easter
Fri 28 May 2027	6	6%	next to May half-term
Mon 28 Jun 2027	6	6%	during term
Fri 9 Jul 2027	6	6%	during term
Thu 22 Jul 2027	6	6%	last days of term
Fri 20 Nov 2026	5	5%	during term
Fri 25 Sep 2026	4	4%	during term
Fri 2 Oct 2026	4	4%	during term
Fri 4 Dec 2026	4	4%	during term
Fri 15 Jan 2027	4	4%	during term
Fri 5 Mar 2027	4	4%	during term
Mon 8 Mar 2027	4	4%	during term
Mon 5 Jul 2027	4	4%	during term
Mon 19 Jul 2027	4	4%	during term
Wed 21 Jul 2027	4	4%	last days of term
Fri 9 Oct 2026	3	3%	during term
Mon 19 Oct 2026	3	3%	during term
Tue 20 Oct 2026	3	3%	during term
Wed 21 Oct 2026	3	3%	during term
Tue 3 Nov 2026	3	3%	two days after October half-term
Fri 13 Nov 2026	3	3%	during term
Fri 22 Jan 2027	3	3%	during term
Wed 10 Mar 2027	3	3%	during term
Tue 4 May 2027	3	3%	during term
Tue 20 Jul 2027	3	3%	during term
Mon 7 Sep 2026	2	2%	during term
Wed 2 Dec 2026	2	2%	during term
Mon 25 Jan 2027	2	2%	during term
Tue 9 Mar 2027	2	2%	during term
Fri 30 Apr 2027	2	2%	during term
Fri 18 Jun 2027	2	2%	during term
Mon 21 Jun 2027	2	2%	during term
Wed 23 Jun 2027	2	2%	during term
Thu 10 Sep 2026	1	1%	during term
Fri 11 Sep 2026	1	1%	during term
Fri 18 Sep 2026	1	1%	during term
Wed 23 Sep 2026	1	1%	during term
Mon 5 Oct 2026	1	1%	during term
Wed 14 Oct 2026	1	1%	during term
Fri 6 Nov 2026	1	1%	during term
Mon 16 Nov 2026	1	1%	during term
Thu 26 Nov 2026	1	1%	during term
Mon 7 Dec 2026	1	1%	during term
Fri 18 Dec 2026	1	1%	next to Christmas
Mon 11 Jan 2027	1	1%	during term
Thu 14 Jan 2027	1	1%	during term
Mon 18 Jan 2027	1	1%	during term
Wed 20 Jan 2027	1	1%	during term
Tue 23 Feb 2027	1	1%	two days after February half-term
Mon 1 Mar 2027	1	1%	during term
Fri 12 Mar 2027	1	1%	during term
Mon 15 Mar 2027	1	1%	during term
Fri 19 Mar 2027	1	1%	during term
Mon 22 Mar 2027	1	1%	during term
Tue 13 Apr 2027	1	1%	two days after Easter
Wed 21 Apr 2027	1	1%	during term
Mon 17 May 2027	1	1%	during term
Thu 27 May 2027	1	1%	two days before May half-term
Thu 24 Jun 2027	1	1%	during term
Wed 30 Jun 2027	1	1%	during term
Wed 7 Jul 2027	1	1%	during term

Source: Inset Offset survey of 148 Bristol state schools; 107 list their inset days. Checked 14 Oct 2026.

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The ten most common inset days

Number of the 107 schools that list each date.

Tap a bar to find that day on the calendar.

Source: Inset Offset survey of 148 Bristol state schools; 107 list their inset days. Checked 14 Oct 2026.

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Almost every school puts one next to a holiday

Almost nine in ten of the schools that list their inset days put at least one straight before or after a holiday. Christmas is the most common.

95 of 107 schools (89%) put at least one inset day next to a holiday

October57 schools16Thu 2232Fri 23Half-term30Mon 2
Christmas78 schoolsChristmas78Mon 49Tue 5
February56 schools20Fri 12Half-term36Mon 22
Easter25 schools6Thu 25Easter19Mon 12
May16 schools6Fri 28Half-term10Mon 7

HolidayInset day (number = schools)

Source: Inset Offset survey of 148 Bristol state schools; 107 list their inset days. Checked 14 Oct 2026.

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What that’s worth

Because so many schools share these dates, they’re worth planning around. These are the two patterns we priced.

Up to 43% less

Same flights, Bristol Airport, family of 4

Flying home Sun 3 Jan

Flying home Mon 4 Jan (inset day)

up to 43% less

Up to 49% less

Same UK holiday park, family of 4

Usual half-term dates

Arriving midweek before Thu 22 + Fri 23 Oct insets

up to 49% less

Prices checked Oct 2026, family of 4, same booking on both dates.

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Is your school one of them?

Pick a date your school has as an inset day.

73%of Bristol schools

78 of 107 list Mon 4 Jan as an inset day

Next to Christmas

WHAT WE FOUND

Up to 43% less

Flying home from Bristol on Mon 4 Jan instead of the Sunday. Prices checked Oct 2026, family of 4, same booking on both dates.

Check your school’s dates →

Or find your cheaper windows →

The numbers

Inset day	Schools	Share	Where it falls	What we found
Mon 4 Jan	78 of 107	73%	Next to Christmas	Up to 43% less
Thu 3 Sep	85 of 107	79%	First days of term	Not priced yet
Fri 23 Oct	32 of 107	30%	Next to October half-term	Up to 37% less
Thu 22 Oct	16 of 107	15%	Two days before October half-term	Up to 49% less
Mon 22 Feb	36 of 107	34%	Next to February half-term	Not priced yet
Mon 2 Nov	30 of 107	28%	Next to October half-term	Not priced yet
Fri 12 Feb	20 of 107	19%	Next to February half-term	Not priced yet

Source: Inset Offset survey of 148 Bristol state schools; 107 list their inset days. Checked 14 Oct 2026.

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How we checked

148 Bristol state-funded schools surveyed for 2026/27 (Bristol City Council, LA 801).
114 publish their 2026/27 dates on their own website; 107 list their inset days.
Schools that don’t publish aren’t counted, so every count is a minimum.
School dates checked 14 October 2026.
Prices checked October 2026 for 2 adults and 2 children, comparing the same booking on both dates.
No individual school is named.
Counts are minimums: they count only schools that publish their inset days on their own website, and some of those lists are incomplete.

Full data available to journalists on request: [email protected]

⤓ Download the date counts (CSV)Full methodology →

Press pack

Every chart in this post as a 1200 × 675 image, free to use with a credit to Inset Offset (insetoffset.co.uk). Full data available to journalists on request: [email protected].

By James CookA parent in Bristol who checks every date and price on this site by hand.About →