South East · Reading Borough Council
Reading term dates 2026-27 and 2027-28
Reading Borough Council calendar for 2026-27 and 2027-28: October half term 26 to 30 October 2026, then Christmas holidays from 21 December 2026.
Reading schools go back on Wednesday 2 September 2026 and the 2026-27 school year ends on Wednesday 21 July 2027, according to the calendar published by Reading Borough 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 194 weekdays in school after bank holidays. The 2027-28 calendar is already published: school starts on Friday 3 September 2027 and the October break is 25 to 29 October 2027. Dates read on Reading Borough 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 Reading
Reading's school term dates are published by Brighter Futures for Children, which runs children's services for Reading Borough Council; the council's own term dates page points there.
The dates apply to schools under Reading Local Authority control; academies, free schools and other own admissions authority schools can set their own.
Reading numbers its year in six terms and fixes the first day of Term 1 as an inset day: Tuesday 1 September 2026, with pupils returning on Wednesday 2 September.
In 2027-28 the first day, Thursday 2 September 2027, is an inset day and pupils return on Friday 3 September.
Schools can set further training (inset) days when they are closed to pupils, and these may differ from school to school.
In 2027-28 Term 4 runs to Friday 7 April 2028 and Term 5 starts on Monday 24 April 2028, a week after Easter Monday.
The calendars total 195 days each year, for example 39, 35, 30, 24, 34 and 33 days across the six terms of 2026-27.
Here you can find the term dates for Reading's maintained schools. Please note that these are the dates for schools under Reading Local Authority control.
Academies, free schools and other own admissions authority schools are free to set their own dates so these may be different.
Reading term dates 2026-27
| Period | Dates | Weekdays |
|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | Tuesday 1 September 2026 to Friday 23 October 2026 | 39 |
| 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 Wednesday 21 July 2027 | 33 |
| Summer holidays | 22 July to 1 September 2027 | 30 |
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: Tuesday 1 September 2026.
Term 1 starts with an inset day on Tuesday 1 September 2026 (schools return Wednesday 2 September). Schools can set a number of training (inset) days, which may be different in each school.
Reading term dates 2027-28
| Period | Dates | Weekdays |
|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | Thursday 2 September 2027 to Friday 22 October 2027 | 37 |
| 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 7 April 2028 | 35 |
| Easter holidays | 10 to 21 April 2028 | 10 |
| Term 5 | Monday 24 April 2028 to Friday 26 May 2028 | 25 |
| May half term | 29 May to 2 June 2028 | 5 |
| Term 6 | Monday 5 June 2028 to Friday 21 July 2028 | 35 |
How Reading compares
Reading 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 1 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 South East region, Brighton and Hove, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Isle of Wight, Kent, Medway, Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, Portsmouth, Southampton, Surrey, West Sussex and Wokingham share the same Easter break.