School term dates in England 2026/27: how to find yours, and what is fixed
The shape of the 2026/27 year in England, who sets the dates (your council or your academy), how to find the exact ones by postcode, the INSET day rule, and the national dates that never move.
By The AskBobbie team · 29 September 20262 min read
England has no national term dates. Councils publish dates for the schools they run; academies and free schools, which are now the majority of secondaries and a large share of primaries, set their own, usually close to the council's. So the honest answer to "when is half term?" is: check your school.
The shape of 2026/27
For most English schools:
- Autumn term: Tuesday 1 or Wednesday 2 September to Friday 18 December 2026, half term the week of 26 October.
- Spring term: Monday 4 or Tuesday 5 January to Friday 26 March or Thursday 1 April 2027, half term the week of 15 February. Easter Sunday is 28 March 2027, early, so some councils end spring term before Easter and some after.
- Summer term: after Easter to around Friday 23 July 2027, half term the week of 31 May.
Add five INSET days, placed by the head, usually at the start of terms and beside half terms.
Finding your exact dates
- Your school's website, under a heading like "Term dates" or "Key dates". This is the truth for your school.
- gov.uk/school-term-holiday-dates: enter your postcode and it sends you to your council's page. Right for community schools; a guide for academies.
- The September newsletter, which usually lists the year's INSET days in one place.
Put the whole year in the calendar the day you have it, INSET days included. If you forward the newsletter to Bobbie, the dates come out on their own.
The national dates
Applications for a secondary place close on 31 October 2026; for a primary place on 15 January 2027. Offers come on 1 March and 16 April 2027. Year 6 SATs are 10 to 13 May 2027; GCSEs run 10 May to 18 June 2027. See the dates schools spring on you for the full list with the dress-up days.
Term-time absence
Since August 2024, a penalty notice for unauthorised absence is £80 per parent per child, rising to £160 if unpaid within 21 days, and a second notice in three years is £160 with no discount; a third goes to prosecution. Heads may authorise absence only in exceptional circumstances, and a cheaper holiday is not one.
Sources: GOV.UK school term and holiday dates; Cognito, school term dates 2026-2027; GOV.UK, school attendance and absence. Dates vary by council and school; always confirm with yours.
Questions people ask
- When does the 2026/27 school year start in England?
- For most schools, Tuesday 1 or Wednesday 2 September 2026, with many using the first day or two as INSET days so children start on the Thursday. It ends around Friday 23 July 2027. Your school's website has the exact dates.
- Are term dates the same across England?
- No. Community schools follow their council's dates; academies and free schools set their own, usually close to the council's but not always. Two schools in one town can differ.
- Can I take my child out in term time?
- Only with the head's permission for exceptional circumstances, and holidays are not one. Unauthorised absence can bring a penalty notice of £80 per parent per child, doubling if unpaid in 21 days, under the 2024 framework.