North West · Bolton Council
Bolton term dates 2026-27 and 2027-28
Bolton Council calendar for 2026-27 and 2027-28: October half term 26 to 30 October 2026, then Christmas holidays from 21 December 2026.
Bolton schools go back on Tuesday 1 September 2026 and the 2026-27 school year ends on Friday 23 July 2027, according to the calendar published by Bolton Council. October half term is 26 to 30 October 2026. Christmas holidays run from 21 December 2026 to 1 January 2027, with pupils back on Monday 4 January 2027. February half term is 15 to 19 February 2027. The Easter holidays cover 26 March to 9 April 2027, taking in Good Friday and Easter Monday. May half term is 31 May to 4 June 2027. The summer holidays start on Monday 26 July 2027. That leaves 197 weekdays in school after bank holidays, and each school then takes some of them as its own INSET days. The 2027-28 calendar is already published: school starts on Monday 6 September 2027 and the October break is 25 to 29 October 2027. Dates read on Bolton Council's own Word calendar on 13 October 2026.
Dates read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How the dates are checked
What is particular about Bolton
Bolton's 2026/27 pattern equates to 197 days, so governing boards have the authority to set 7 occasional days to meet local needs.
Bolton asks schools to place their 5 INSET days outside the published term time.
The 2026/27 summer term runs to Friday 23 July 2027 and the next school year starts on Monday 6 September 2027.
In 2027/28 the pattern equates to 192 days, with 2 occasional days for governing boards to set.
If a school is used as a polling station for the local elections on Thursday 6 May 2027 and has to close, one of its occasional days should be used for the closure.
Bolton's February half term in 2028 is Monday 21 to Friday 25 February.
We are responsible for setting holiday and term dates for community and voluntary controlled schools.
The term dates for foundation and voluntary aided schools are decided by their governing bodies. Term dates vary for each school; please check with the school for their holiday dates.
Bolton term dates 2026-27
| Period | Dates | Weekdays |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn term (first half) | Tuesday 1 September 2026 to Friday 23 October 2026 | 39 |
| October half term | 26 to 30 October 2026 | 5 |
| Autumn term (second half) | Monday 2 November 2026 to Friday 18 December 2026 | 35 |
| Christmas holidays | 21 December 2026 to 1 January 2027 | 10 |
| Spring term (first half) | Monday 4 January 2027 to Friday 12 February 2027 | 30 |
| February half term | 15 to 19 February 2027 | 5 |
| Spring term (second half) | Monday 22 February 2027 to Thursday 25 March 2027 | 24 |
| Easter holidays | 26 March to 9 April 2027 | 11 |
| Summer term (first half) | Monday 12 April 2027 to Friday 28 May 2027 | 35 |
| May half term | 31 May to 4 June 2027 | 5 |
| Summer term (second half) | Monday 7 June 2027 to Friday 23 July 2027 | 35 |
| Summer holidays | 26 July to 3 September 2027 | 30 |
Bank holidays inside term time, with no school: Early May bank holiday (3 May 2027).
Children will be in school for 190 days and staff for 195 days; 5 INSET days to be allocated by the school during non-term time.
Bolton term dates 2027-28
| Period | Dates | Weekdays |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn term (first half) | Monday 6 September 2027 to Friday 22 October 2027 | 35 |
| October half term | 25 to 29 October 2027 | 5 |
| Autumn term (second half) | Monday 1 November 2027 to Friday 17 December 2027 | 35 |
| Christmas holidays | 20 December 2027 to 3 January 2028 | 11 |
| Spring term (first half) | Tuesday 4 January 2028 to Friday 18 February 2028 | 34 |
| February half term | 21 to 25 February 2028 | 5 |
| Spring term (second half) | Monday 28 February 2028 to Friday 31 March 2028 | 25 |
| Easter holidays | 3 to 17 April 2028 | 11 |
| Summer term (first half) | Tuesday 18 April 2028 to Friday 26 May 2028 | 29 |
| May half term | 29 May to 2 June 2028 | 5 |
| Summer term (second half) | Monday 5 June 2028 to Friday 21 July 2028 | 35 |
| Summer holidays | 24 July to 1 September 2028 | 30 |
How Bolton compares
Bolton keeps the most common English dates for its october half term, february half term, easter holidays and may half term.
It moves away from the usual pattern for its summer holidays (26 July to 3 September 2027, where 32 of the 99 English calendars on this site have 22 July to 31 August 2027). A family with children in two areas should check these weeks first.
In the North West region, Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Cumberland, Lancashire, Liverpool, Oldham, Rochdale, Sefton, Stockport, Trafford, Westmorland and Furness and Wirral share the same Easter break, while Manchester, Salford and Wigan use different Easter dates.