New school term dates for 2026-27 have raised concerns they could limit attendance at the Royal Welsh Show.

The Welsh Government has confirmed that the summer term will end on 20 July 2027 - two days into the traditional start of the Show.

There are now fears that families and pupils - especially those who travel into Llanelwedd from outside of Powys - may be unable to attend the event’s opening days.

Welsh Conservatives have criticised the decision.

Natasha Asghar MS, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education, said: “These plans will undoubtedly reduce footfall at the Royal Welsh Show by restricting the number of families who can attend its first two days.”

She added that the move felt like “laying the groundwork” for the previously proposed, but postponed, school holiday reforms which would have moved the first week of the summer holidays to October half-term - a plan widely condemned for clashing with the show.

Samuel Kurtz MS, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, described the Royal Welsh Show as “an event of cultural significance to all of Wales” and said the decision supports the narrative that rural communities are an “afterthought” for Labour.

In a statement released last week, Lynne Neagle, Cabinet Secretary for Education said she knew “variations in school term dates and school holidays can cause difficulties for many families and businesses across Wales” and acknowledged “both advantages and disadvantages to aligning school term dates.”

Ms Neagle emphasised the extensive consultation process behind the decision.

A 12-week public consultation closed in May 2025 and, according to the Welsh Government, “most respondents supported the proposed school term dates for 2026 to 2027.”

“The Education (Notification of School Term Dates) (Wales) Regulations 2014 provide that local authorities must inform Welsh Ministers of the term dates set for all maintained schools within their areas by the final working day in August two years prior to the school year to which they relate,” said Ms Neagle.

“I considered that the term dates submitted by local authorities for 2026-27 were not the same or as similar as can be. Therefore, I considered using the powers of direction under the Education Act 2002 to ensure that term dates are as similar as can be across Wales.”

Following the consultation results, Ms Neagle said she decided to proceed with the proposed dates will now “issue the direction to local authorities to finalise the dates and make the necessary arrangements with their schools.”

In June 2024, Welsh Government proposals to shorten the summer break and extend the October half-term were put on hold until after the next Senedd election, following widespread opposition from education unions, organisers of the Royal Welsh Show and some tourist attractions.

If proposals had gone though, the half-term break in October 2025 would have been extended to a fortnight, with a five-week rather than six-week holiday in summer 2026.

At the time, teaching unions condemned the plans as a distraction from more urgent challenges facing schools, including falling standards, staff shortages and rising pupil absence.