October half term

October half term 2026: start dates range from Monday 5 October to Monday 26 October, depending on the area.

The dates of October half term by region, for this school year and the years ahead.

School year 2026-2027

October half term in the 2026-2027 school year: dates and number of days by region
RegionPeriodDays
Angus5 – 16 Oct 202612
Argyll and Bute5 – 16 Oct 202612
North ayrshire arran5 – 18 Oct 202614
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar9 – 20 Oct 202612
Aberdeen12 – 23 Oct 202612
Aberdeenshire12 – 23 Oct 202612
Clackmannanshire12 – 23 Oct 202612
Dumfries and Galloway12 – 23 Oct 202612
Dundee12 – 23 Oct 202612
East Ayrshire12 – 16 Oct 20265
East Lothian12 – 16 Oct 20265
East Renfrewshire12 – 16 Oct 20265
Edinburgh12 – 19 Oct 20268
Falkirk12 – 23 Oct 202612
Fife12 – 23 Oct 202612
Highland12 – 23 Oct 202612
Midlothian12 – 16 Oct 20265
Moray12 – 23 Oct 202612
North Ayrshire12 – 18 Oct 20267
Perth and Kinross12 – 23 Oct 202612
Scottish Borders12 – 16 Oct 20265
Shetland12 – 27 Oct 202616
Stirling12 – 23 Oct 202612
Rutland17 Oct – 1 Nov 202616
Bromley19 – 30 Oct 202612
Isle of Wight19 – 30 Oct 202612
Leicester19 – 23 Oct 20265
Leicestershire19 – 23 Oct 20265
Nottingham19 – 30 Oct 202612
Nottinghamshire19 – 30 Oct 202612
Surrey19 – 30 Oct 202612
West Lothian19 – 23 Oct 20265
Swindon22 Oct – 1 Nov 202611
Norfolk23 – 30 Oct 20268
Somerset23 Oct – 1 Nov 202610
West Berkshire23 – 30 Oct 20268
Blackburn with Darwen24 Oct – 1 Nov 20269
Derbyshire24 Oct – 1 Nov 20269
East Sussex24 Oct – 1 Nov 20269
Gloucestershire24 Oct – 1 Nov 20269
Kent24 Oct – 1 Nov 20269
Kingston upon Thames24 Oct – 1 Nov 20269
Lincolnshire24 Oct – 1 Nov 20269
North East Lincolnshire24 Oct – 1 Nov 20269
North Lincolnshire24 Oct – 1 Nov 20269
North Somerset24 Oct – 1 Nov 20269
North Tyneside24 Oct – 1 Nov 20269
Northumberland24 Oct – 1 Nov 20269
Oldham24 Oct – 1 Nov 20269
Plymouth24 Oct – 1 Nov 20269
Reading24 Oct – 1 Nov 20269
Richmond upon Thames24 Oct – 1 Nov 20269
South Gloucestershire24 Oct – 1 Nov 20269
St Helens24 Oct – 1 Nov 20269
Warrington24 Oct – 1 Nov 20269
Worcestershire24 Oct – 1 Nov 20269
Anglesey26 – 30 Oct 20265
Barking and Dagenham26 – 30 Oct 20265
Barnet26 – 30 Oct 20265
Barnsley26 – 30 Oct 20265
Bath and North East Somerset26 – 30 Oct 20265
Bedford26 – 30 Oct 20265
Bexley26 – 30 Oct 20265
Birmingham26 – 30 Oct 20265
Blaenau Gwent26 – 30 Oct 20265
Bolton26 – 30 Oct 20265
Bournemouth christchurch and poole26 – 30 Oct 20265
Bracknell Forest26 – 30 Oct 20265
Bradford26 – 30 Oct 20265
Brent26 – 30 Oct 20265
Bridgend26 – 30 Oct 20265
Brighton and Hove26 – 30 Oct 20265
Bristol26 – 30 Oct 20265
Buckinghamshire26 – 30 Oct 20265
Bury26 – 30 Oct 20265
Caerphilly26 – 30 Oct 20265
Calderdale26 – 30 Oct 20265
Cambridgeshire26 – 30 Oct 20265
Camden26 – 30 Oct 20265
Cardiff26 – 30 Oct 20265
Carmarthenshire26 – 30 Oct 20265
Central Bedfordshire26 – 30 Oct 20265
Ceredigion26 – 30 Oct 20265
Cheshire East26 – 30 Oct 20265
Cheshire West and Chester26 – 30 Oct 20265
Conwy26 – 30 Oct 20265
Cornwall26 – 30 Oct 20265
Coventry26 – 30 Oct 20265
Croydon26 – 30 Oct 20265
Cumberland26 – 30 Oct 20265
Darlington26 – 30 Oct 20265
Denbighshire26 – 30 Oct 20265
Derby26 Oct – 1 Nov 20267
Doncaster26 Oct – 1 Nov 20267
Dorset26 – 30 Oct 20265
Dudley26 – 30 Oct 20265
Ealing London26 – 30 Oct 20265
East Riding of Yorkshire26 – 30 Oct 20265
Enfield26 – 30 Oct 20265
Essex26 – 30 Oct 20265
Flintshire26 – 30 Oct 20265
Greenwich26 – 30 Oct 20265
Gwynedd26 – 30 Oct 20265
Hackney26 – 30 Oct 20265
Halton26 – 30 Oct 20265
Hammersmith and Fulham26 – 30 Oct 20265
Hampshire26 – 30 Oct 20265
Haringey26 – 30 Oct 20265
Harrow26 – 30 Oct 20265
Havering26 – 30 Oct 20265
Herefordshire26 – 30 Oct 20265
Hertfordshire26 – 30 Oct 20265
Hillingdon26 – 30 Oct 20265
Hounslow26 – 30 Oct 20265
Islington26 – 30 Oct 20265
Knowsley26 – 30 Oct 20265
Lancashire26 – 30 Oct 20265
Leeds26 – 30 Oct 20265
Lewisham26 – 30 Oct 20265
Liverpool26 – 30 Oct 20265
Luton26 – 30 Oct 20265
Manchester26 – 30 Oct 20265
Medway26 – 30 Oct 20265
Merthyr Tydfil26 – 30 Oct 20265
Merton26 – 30 Oct 20265
Middlesbrough26 – 30 Oct 20265
Milton Keynes26 – 30 Oct 20265
Monmouthshire26 – 30 Oct 20265
Neath Port Talbot26 – 30 Oct 20265
Newcastle26 – 30 Oct 20265
Newham26 – 30 Oct 20265
Newport26 – 30 Oct 20265
North northamptonshire26 – 30 Oct 20265
North Yorkshire26 – 30 Oct 20265
Oxfordshire26 – 30 Oct 20265
Pembrokeshire26 – 30 Oct 20265
Peterborough26 – 30 Oct 20265
Portsmouth26 – 30 Oct 20265
Powys26 – 30 Oct 20265
Redbridge26 – 30 Oct 20265
Rhondda Cynon Taf26 – 30 Oct 20265
Rochdale26 – 30 Oct 20265
Rotherham26 – 30 Oct 20265
Salford26 – 30 Oct 20265
Sandwell26 – 30 Oct 20265
Sefton26 – 30 Oct 20265
Sheffield26 – 30 Oct 20265
Shropshire26 – 30 Oct 20265
Slough26 – 30 Oct 20265
Southampton26 – 30 Oct 20265
Southend-on-Sea26 – 30 Oct 20265
Southwark26 – 30 Oct 20265
Stockport primary26 – 30 Oct 20265
Stockport secondary26 – 30 Oct 20265
Stockton-on-Tees26 – 30 Oct 20265
Suffolk26 – 30 Oct 20265
Sutton26 – 30 Oct 20265
Swansea26 – 30 Oct 20265
Telford and Wrekin26 – 30 Oct 20265
Thurrock26 – 30 Oct 20265
Torbay26 – 30 Oct 20265
Torfaen26 – 30 Oct 20265
Tower Hamlets26 – 30 Oct 20265
Vale of Glamorgan26 – 30 Oct 20265
Wakefield26 Oct – 1 Nov 20267
Walsall26 – 30 Oct 20265
Waltham Forest26 – 30 Oct 20265
Wandsworth26 – 30 Oct 20265
Warwickshire26 – 30 Oct 20265
West northamptonshire26 – 30 Oct 20265
West Sussex26 – 30 Oct 20265
Westmorland and furness26 – 30 Oct 20265
Wigan26 – 30 Oct 20265
Wirral26 – 30 Oct 20265
Wokingham26 – 30 Oct 20265
Wolverhampton26 – 30 Oct 20265
Wrexham26 – 30 Oct 20265
York26 – 30 Oct 20265

School year 2027-2028

October half term in the 2027-2028 school year: dates and number of days by region
RegionPeriodDays
Angus4 – 15 Oct 202712
North ayrshire arran4 – 15 Oct 202712
Aberdeen11 – 22 Oct 202712
Aberdeenshire11 – 22 Oct 202712
Argyll and Bute11 – 22 Oct 202712
Clackmannanshire11 – 22 Oct 202712
Dumfries and Galloway11 – 22 Oct 202712
Dundee11 – 22 Oct 202712
East Ayrshire11 – 22 Oct 202712
Falkirk11 – 22 Oct 202712
Fife11 – 22 Oct 202712
Highland11 – 22 Oct 202712
Moray11 – 22 Oct 202712
Scottish Borders11 – 15 Oct 20275
Shetland11 – 26 Oct 202716
Stirling11 – 22 Oct 202712
Rutland16 – 31 Oct 2027(provisional)16
Bromley18 – 29 Oct 202712
Edinburgh18 – 25 Oct 20278
Isle of Wight18 – 29 Oct 202712
Midlothian18 – 22 Oct 20275
Nottingham18 – 29 Oct 202712
Nottinghamshire18 – 29 Oct 202712
West Lothian18 – 22 Oct 20275
Swindon21 – 31 Oct 202711
Southend-on-Sea22 – 29 Oct 20278
Derbyshire23 – 31 Oct 20279
East Sussex23 – 31 Oct 20279
Gloucestershire23 – 31 Oct 20279
Hillingdon23 – 31 Oct 20279
Kent23 – 31 Oct 20279
Kingston upon Thames23 – 31 Oct 20279
Lincolnshire23 – 31 Oct 20279
North East Lincolnshire23 – 31 Oct 20279
North Lincolnshire23 – 31 Oct 20279
North Somerset23 – 31 Oct 20279
North Tyneside23 – 31 Oct 20279
Northumberland23 – 31 Oct 20279
Oldham23 – 31 Oct 20279
Reading23 – 31 Oct 20279
Richmond upon Thames23 – 31 Oct 20279
Somerset23 – 31 Oct 20279
South Gloucestershire23 – 31 Oct 20279
St Helens23 – 31 Oct 2027(provisional)9
Warrington23 – 31 Oct 20279
Worcestershire23 – 31 Oct 20279
Plymouth24 Oct – 1 Nov 20279
Anglesey25 – 29 Oct 20275
Barnsley25 – 29 Oct 20275
Bath and North East Somerset25 – 29 Oct 20275
Bedford25 – 29 Oct 20275
Bexley25 – 29 Oct 20275
Birmingham25 – 29 Oct 20275
Blaenau Gwent25 – 29 Oct 20275
Bolton25 – 29 Oct 20275
Bournemouth christchurch and poole25 – 29 Oct 20275
Bracknell Forest25 – 29 Oct 20275
Bradford25 – 29 Oct 20275
Bridgend25 – 29 Oct 20275
Brighton and Hove25 – 29 Oct 20275
Bristol25 – 29 Oct 20275
Buckinghamshire25 – 29 Oct 20275
Bury25 – 29 Oct 20275
Caerphilly25 – 29 Oct 20275
Calderdale25 – 29 Oct 20275
Cambridgeshire25 – 29 Oct 20275
Cardiff25 – 29 Oct 20275
Carmarthenshire25 – 29 Oct 20275
Central Bedfordshire25 – 29 Oct 20275
Ceredigion25 – 29 Oct 20275
Cheshire East25 – 29 Oct 20275
Cheshire West and Chester25 – 29 Oct 20275
Conwy25 – 29 Oct 20275
Cornwall25 – 29 Oct 20275
Coventry25 – 29 Oct 20275
Cumberland25 – 29 Oct 20275
Darlington25 – 29 Oct 20275
Denbighshire25 – 29 Oct 20275
Derby25 – 31 Oct 20277
Dorset25 – 29 Oct 20275
Dudley25 – 29 Oct 20275
Ealing London25 – 29 Oct 20275
East Riding of Yorkshire25 – 29 Oct 20275
Enfield25 – 29 Oct 20275
Essex25 – 29 Oct 20275
Flintshire25 – 29 Oct 20275
Greenwich25 – 29 Oct 20275
Gwynedd25 – 29 Oct 20275
Halton25 – 29 Oct 20275
Hammersmith and Fulham25 – 29 Oct 20275
Hampshire25 – 29 Oct 20275
Havering25 – 29 Oct 20275
Herefordshire25 – 29 Oct 20275
Hertfordshire25 – 29 Oct 20275
Hounslow25 – 29 Oct 20275
Islington25 – 29 Oct 20275
Knowsley25 – 29 Oct 20275
Lancashire25 – 29 Oct 20275
Leeds25 – 29 Oct 20275
Lewisham25 – 29 Oct 20275
Liverpool25 – 29 Oct 20275
Luton25 – 29 Oct 20275
Medway25 – 29 Oct 20275
Merthyr Tydfil25 – 29 Oct 20275
Merton25 – 29 Oct 20275
Milton Keynes25 – 29 Oct 20275
Monmouthshire25 – 29 Oct 20275
Neath Port Talbot25 – 29 Oct 20275
Newcastle25 – 29 Oct 2027(provisional)5
Newport25 – 29 Oct 20275
Norfolk25 – 29 Oct 20275
North northamptonshire25 – 29 Oct 20275
North Yorkshire25 – 29 Oct 20275
Oxfordshire25 – 29 Oct 20275
Pembrokeshire25 – 29 Oct 20275
Peterborough25 – 29 Oct 20275
Portsmouth25 – 29 Oct 20275
Powys25 – 29 Oct 20275
Redbridge25 – 29 Oct 20275
Rhondda Cynon Taf25 – 29 Oct 20275
Rochdale25 – 29 Oct 20275
Rotherham25 – 29 Oct 20275
Salford25 – 29 Oct 20275
Sandwell25 – 29 Oct 20275
Sefton25 – 29 Oct 20275
Sheffield25 – 29 Oct 20275
Shropshire25 – 29 Oct 20275
Slough25 – 29 Oct 20275
Southampton25 – 29 Oct 20275
Stockport primary25 – 29 Oct 20275
Stockport secondary25 – 29 Oct 20275
Suffolk25 – 29 Oct 20275
Surrey25 – 29 Oct 20275
Sutton25 – 30 Oct 20276
Swansea25 – 29 Oct 20275
Telford and Wrekin25 – 29 Oct 20275
Thurrock25 – 29 Oct 20275
Torbay25 – 29 Oct 20275
Torfaen25 – 29 Oct 20275
Tower Hamlets25 – 29 Oct 20275
Vale of Glamorgan25 – 29 Oct 20275
Wakefield25 – 31 Oct 20277
Walsall25 – 29 Oct 20275
Waltham Forest25 – 29 Oct 20275
Warwickshire25 – 29 Oct 20275
West northamptonshire25 – 29 Oct 20275
West Sussex25 – 29 Oct 20275
Westmorland and furness25 – 29 Oct 20275
Wigan25 – 29 Oct 20275
Wirral25 – 29 Oct 20275
Wokingham25 – 29 Oct 20275
Wolverhampton25 – 29 Oct 20275
Wrexham25 – 29 Oct 20275
York25 – 29 Oct 20275

School year 2028-2029

October half term in the 2028-2029 school year: dates and number of days by region
RegionPeriodDays
Clackmannanshire9 – 20 Oct 202812
Falkirk9 – 20 Oct 202812
Scottish Borders9 – 13 Oct 20285
Stirling9 – 20 Oct 202812
Aberdeenshire16 – 27 Oct 202812
Edinburgh16 – 23 Oct 20288
Midlothian16 – 20 Oct 20285
Moray16 – 27 Oct 202812
Derbyshire21 – 29 Oct 20289
Hillingdon21 – 29 Oct 20289
Bolton23 – 27 Oct 20285
Derby23 – 29 Oct 20287
Greenwich23 – 27 Oct 20285
Hampshire23 – 27 Oct 20285
Herefordshire23 – 27 Oct 20285
Hounslow23 – 27 Oct 20285
Lewisham23 – 27 Oct 20285
Liverpool23 – 27 Oct 20285
Medway23 – 27 Oct 20285
Nottingham23 Oct – 3 Nov 202812
Nottinghamshire23 Oct – 3 Nov 202812
Salford23 – 27 Oct 20285
Sefton23 – 27 Oct 20285
Sutton23 – 27 Oct 20285
Cheshire East30 Oct – 3 Nov 20285
Cheshire West and Chester30 Oct – 3 Nov 20285
Cumberland30 Oct – 3 Nov 20285
Wakefield30 Oct – 5 Nov 2028(provisional)7
Westmorland and furness30 Oct – 3 Nov 20285

School year 2029-2030

October half term in the 2029-2030 school year: dates and number of days by region
RegionPeriodDays
Aberdeenshire8 – 19 Oct 202912
Hillingdon20 – 28 Oct 20299
Greenwich22 – 26 Oct 20295
Hampshire22 – 26 Oct 20295
Hounslow22 – 26 Oct 20295
Lewisham22 – 26 Oct 20295
Nottingham22 Oct – 2 Nov 202912
Nottinghamshire22 Oct – 2 Nov 202912
Sutton22 – 26 Oct 20295
Derbyshire27 Oct – 4 Nov 20299
Derby29 Oct – 4 Nov 20297

Dates are taken from official publications. Schools may have additional days off, so check with your school if in doubt.

Sources: Official source (Angus), Official source (Argyll and Bute), Official source (north-ayrshire.gov.uk), Official source (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar) and 161 more. Last checked: 4 October 2026. More about our sources

When is the October half term?

In England and Wales, the October half term is a one-week break in the middle of the autumn term, usually in the second half of October. Most schools are off from Monday to Friday, which together with the weekends makes nine days. The exact week is set by the council, or by the school itself for academies and other schools that set their own dates, so it can differ from one area to the next.

October holidays in Scotland and Northern Ireland

In Scotland, schools have an October holiday of one or two weeks, often starting earlier in the month than in England. The break was traditionally known in rural areas as the 'tattie holidays', when children helped with the potato harvest.

In Northern Ireland, schools have a Halloween break, usually around the last week of October, with the exact dates set by each school.

Tips for the October half term

The October half term is a popular time for a short break, a city trip or a last bit of autumn sun. Because councils don't all choose the same week, it can be quieter and cheaper to travel in a week when fewer areas are off. Halloween often falls during or just after half term, and Bonfire Night follows soon after.

Check the dates for your council in the table above, and always confirm with your child's school.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the October half term?

In England and Wales usually one week. In Scotland the October holiday can last one or two weeks.

Does every school have the same October half term?

No. Councils set the dates for most schools, and academies can set their own, so the week can differ between areas.