North East · Northumberland County Council
Northumberland term dates 2026-27 and 2027-28
Northumberland County Council calendar for 2026-27 and 2027-28: October half term 26 to 30 October 2026, then Christmas holidays from 21 December 2026.
Northumberland schools go back on Tuesday 1 September 2026 and the 2026-27 school year ends on Wednesday 21 July 2027, according to the calendar published by Northumberland 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 Thursday 22 July 2027. That leaves 195 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 Northumberland County Council's own web page on 13 October 2026.
Dates read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How the dates are checked
What is particular about Northumberland
Northumberland publishes a list of teacher training days school by school, grouped by school partnership, with a separate list for special schools.
In the 2026-27 training day list many schools share 1 September 2026 as a training day, and several replace some days with commuted twilight sessions.
The 2026-27 calendar shows 195 term time days, with 5 used by schools as non-teaching days.
The 2027-28 calendar shows 192 days: 2 are non-teaching days and schools must find 3 further non-teaching days outside the term dates.
Schools must take account of closures for local or Parliamentary elections when setting their 2027-28 non-teaching days.
The council reminds parents they can be fined for taking children out of school in term time without consent, and that a family holiday is unlikely to be authorised.
Some schools have allocated their own term dates. You should also check your school's website.
Foundation Trust, Academy and Voluntary Aided (church) schools are not obliged to follow these dates and may choose to set a different calendar.
Northumberland 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 Wednesday 21 July 2027 | 33 |
| Summer holidays | 22 July to 3 September 2027 | 32 |
Bank holidays inside term time, with no school: Early May bank holiday (3 May 2027).
This calendar shows 195 term time days. The additional 5 days will be used by schools for non-teaching days; individual schools notify parents. The council publishes each school's teacher training days in a separate list.
Northumberland 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 11 February 2028 | 29 |
| February half term | 14 to 18 February 2028 | 5 |
| Spring term (second half) | Monday 21 February 2028 to Friday 7 April 2028 | 35 |
| Easter holidays | 10 to 21 April 2028 | 10 |
| Summer term (first half) | Monday 24 April 2028 to Friday 26 May 2028 | 25 |
| May half term | 29 May to 2 June 2028 | 5 |
| Summer term (second half) | Monday 5 June 2028 to Thursday 20 July 2028 | 34 |
| Summer holidays | 21 July to 1 September 2028 | 31 |
How Northumberland compares
Northumberland 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 (22 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 East region, County Durham and Newcastle share the same Easter break.