When is October half term 2026? Dates by council, and why private schools take two weeks

October half term 2026 is Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October for 16 of the 19 English councils we track, with pupils back on Monday 2 November 2026. The exceptions are Surrey and Nottinghamshire, where council-run schools take two weeks from Monday 19 October, and Norfolk, whose model calendar closes schools to pupils from Friday 23 October. Independent schools mostly break earlier and for longer: 57% of the 974 independent-school calendars we hold with an autumn half term start it in the week of Monday 19 October, and the median break is ten weekdays.

October half term 2026 by council

Dates are those each council publishes for its community and voluntary-controlled schools, from our term-dates dataset, read on 8 August 2026. All 19 end half term on Friday 30 October 2026, so everyone returns on Monday 2 November; what varies is the start.

Councils marked * are provisional in our dataset: we have not confirmed them against the council's own published calendar, so treat them as "as published" and confirm before booking anything non-refundable. Nottinghamshire and Norfolk were re-checked against council documents on 2 September 2026.

Which councils are different, and why?

Surrey and Nottinghamshire: two weeks, 19 to 30 October

Surrey's two-week half term is a one-off. The council's 2026 to 2027 term dates page says the 19 to 30 October break applies to community and voluntary-controlled schools, that "five days will be taken from the summer holiday in July 2027", and that "from September 2027, community and voluntary controlled schools will revert to a one-week autumn half term". Academies, voluntary-aided and foundation schools "may have different term dates".

Nottinghamshire takes the same fortnight, Monday 19 October to Friday 30 October 2026, and its summer term runs to Wednesday 28 July 2027, like Surrey's. The council says foundation, trust and voluntary-aided schools and academies set their own dates.

Norfolk: from Friday 23 October

Norfolk's model calendar for 2026 to 2027, which covers community, voluntary-controlled, community special and nursery schools, marks Friday 23 October as a pupil holiday and suggests it as one of the five staff training days, so pupils are off from Friday 23 October to Friday 30 October. Most academies adopt the model calendar, the county says, but check with the school.

When is October half term 2026 in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland?

Wales: Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026 in all 22 local authorities, per the Welsh Government's approved term dates.

Scotland: term and holiday dates vary across Scotland and are set by each council. Edinburgh's mid-term break is Monday 12 to Monday 19 October 2026, with pupils back on Tuesday 20 October; Highland and Aberdeenshire take two weeks, Monday 12 to Friday 23 October, so their pupils are back on Monday 26 October, the day most of England breaks.

Northern Ireland: schools must open for 200 days a year, all sectors agree holiday dates annually, and schools "don't always take the same dates as holidays", so there is no single half-term week. Check your school's calendar.

Why is my child's private school off for two weeks?

Because the two-week October half term is now the independent-school norm. Of the 1,408 independent schools we checked in August 2026, 1,045 had published a 2026 to 2027 calendar, and 974 of those showed an identifiable autumn half term. Among those 974, 57% start the break in the week of Monday 19 October 2026, 29% the week of 12 October, and only 14% in the state week of 26 October. Of the same 974, 88% take more than the state week, the median break is 10 weekdays to the state sector's five, and 97% of those longer breaks span the state half-term week entirely. So most private-school children are off for the state week and the week before it. Figures and method: our press page.

A typical example: Wellington College lists its Michaelmas half term exeat as Saturday 17 October to Sunday 1 November 2026, ten weekdays that wrap the council week.

Do academies follow the council dates?

Not necessarily. Government guidance says academies "can set their own term times", and the Surrey and Nottinghamshire pages say the same of foundation and voluntary-aided schools. The council table is the local default; your school's term-dates page is the truth, including any inset day attached to either end of the week.

The 19 to 30 October childcare pinch

Week one, 19 to 23 October: most independent-school children, and council pupils in Surrey and Nottinghamshire, are off while most state schools are in. Week two, 26 to 30 October: nearly everyone in England and Wales is off at once, which is the week clubs fill first. Three moves help:

• Book the 26 to 30 October week now. Holiday clubs run on bookings, not hope.
• Decide who covers 19 to 23 October in September, not the Sunday before. If both parents work, the coverage system earns its keep.
• Check both ends of the week for inset days. Norfolk's suggested training day on Friday 23 October shows how five days quietly become six.

For the rest of the year's pinch points, see the 2026 to 2027 school year in dates.

Frequently asked

Is October half term 2026 one week or two?

One week for most of England and all of Wales: Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026. Community and voluntary-controlled schools in Surrey and Nottinghamshire take two weeks, Monday 19 October to Friday 30 October 2026. Most independent schools also take about two weeks, usually starting in the week of 19 October.

When is October half term 2026 in Wales?

Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026 in all 22 Welsh local authorities, according to the Welsh Government's approved term dates for 2026 to 2027. Pupils return on Monday 2 November 2026.

Do private schools have the same half term as state schools?

Usually not. In the 2026 to 2027 calendars we read, 57% of the 974 independent schools with an identifiable autumn half term start it in the week of 19 October 2026 and only 14% start in the state week of 26 October; 88% of those 974 take more than the state week, with a median break of 10 weekdays against the state sector's five. 97% of those longer breaks still cover the state half-term week, so siblings in different systems are normally off together for that week.

When do schools go back after October half term 2026?

Monday 2 November 2026 for all 19 English councils we track and for Wales, because every one of them ends half term on Friday 30 October. Academies and independent schools may differ, and a Monday inset day can push your child's return to Tuesday 3 November.

When is the October holiday 2026 in Scotland?

Scotland has no single half-term week; dates are set by each council. Edinburgh's mid-term break is Monday 12 to Monday 19 October 2026, with pupils back on Tuesday 20 October, while Highland and Aberdeenshire take Monday 12 to Friday 23 October and return on Monday 26 October. Check your own council's term-dates page for yours.

Two calendars, one family

The 19 to 30 October fortnight is exactly where a household with children at different schools comes unstuck: one week off here, two there. Fred sorts it. Forward the term-dates letter, snap the newsletter or send a voice note, and Fred puts each child's half term, one week or two, on the family calendar and reminds the right parent to book holiday club before the places go. Fred lives in WhatsApp, so there is no app to install; the first month is free, no card needed.