South East · East Sussex County Council
East Sussex term dates 2026-27 and 2027-28
East Sussex County Council calendar for 2026-27 and 2027-28: October half term 26 to 30 October 2026, then Christmas holidays from 21 December 2026.
East Sussex schools go back on Thursday 3 September 2026 and the 2026-27 school year ends on Thursday 22 July 2027, according to the calendar published by East Sussex County 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 Friday 23 July 2027. That leaves 194 weekdays in school after bank holidays. The 2027-28 calendar is already published: school starts on Thursday 2 September 2027 and the October break is 25 to 29 October 2027. Dates read on East Sussex County Council's own PDF calendar on 12 October 2026.
Dates read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How the dates are checked
What is particular about East Sussex
East Sussex numbers its year in six terms, Term 1 to Term 6, with named breaks such as the autumn, February, spring and May school holidays.
The 2026-27 calendar names one staff training (INSET) day, Wednesday 2 September 2026, the first day of Term 1.
The council lists a primary to secondary transition week, 28 June to 2 July 2027, identified by secondary schools to support pupils moving up.
For 2027-28 the council names Wednesday 1 September 2027 as the staff training (INSET) day and gives a total of 195 days (190 pupil days and five INSET days).
The web page says schools are responsible for setting their own INSET days and tells parents to check with the school.
Term dates and holidays can be added to a phone or online calendar through a subscription feed, and the council also publishes them as open data on data.gov.uk.
The term and holiday dates on this page only apply to: community schools (run by the council) voluntary controlled schools (faith schools run by the council)
They may not apply to voluntary aided schools; academies; free schools; sixth form colleges; further education colleges; schools in the independent sector (private schools).
East Sussex term dates 2026-27
| Period | Dates | Weekdays |
|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | Wednesday 2 September 2026 to Friday 23 October 2026 | 38 |
| October half term | 26 to 30 October 2026 | 5 |
| Term 2 | Monday 2 November 2026 to Friday 18 December 2026 | 35 |
| Christmas holidays | 21 December 2026 to 1 January 2027 | 10 |
| Term 3 | Monday 4 January 2027 to Friday 12 February 2027 | 30 |
| February half term | 15 to 19 February 2027 | 5 |
| Term 4 | Monday 22 February 2027 to Thursday 25 March 2027 | 24 |
| Easter holidays | 26 March to 9 April 2027 | 11 |
| Term 5 | Monday 12 April 2027 to Friday 28 May 2027 | 35 |
| May half term | 31 May to 4 June 2027 | 5 |
| Term 6 | Monday 7 June 2027 to Thursday 22 July 2027 | 34 |
| Summer holidays | 23 July to 31 August 2027 | 28 |
Bank holidays inside term time, with no school: Early May bank holiday (3 May 2027).
In-service days fixed by the council, pupils at home: Wednesday 2 September 2026.
The calendar names Wednesday 2 September 2026 as a staff training (INSET) day; the web page says schools are responsible for setting their own INSET days.
East Sussex term dates 2027-28
| Period | Dates | Weekdays |
|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | Wednesday 1 September 2027 to Friday 22 October 2027 | 38 |
| October half term | 25 to 29 October 2027 | 5 |
| Term 2 | Monday 1 November 2027 to Friday 17 December 2027 | 35 |
| Christmas holidays | 20 December 2027 to 3 January 2028 | 11 |
| Term 3 | Tuesday 4 January 2028 to Friday 11 February 2028 | 29 |
| February half term | 14 to 18 February 2028 | 5 |
| Term 4 | Monday 21 February 2028 to Friday 31 March 2028 | 30 |
| Easter holidays | 3 to 17 April 2028 | 11 |
| Term 5 | Tuesday 18 April 2028 to Friday 26 May 2028 | 29 |
| May half term | 29 May to 2 June 2028 | 5 |
| Term 6 | Monday 5 June 2028 to Friday 21 July 2028 | 35 |
How East Sussex compares
East Sussex 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 (23 July to 31 August 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 South East region, Brighton and Hove, Buckinghamshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Medway, Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, Portsmouth, Reading, Southampton, Surrey, West Sussex and Wokingham share the same Easter break.