Brighton and Hove school term dates & holidays 2026/27 and 2027/28

Compiled from Brighton & Hove City Council's published calendar · last checked 12 September 2026

These are the official school term dates and holidays set by Brighton & Hove City Council for the 2026/27 and 2027/28 academic years: term start and finish dates, half terms, and the Christmas, Easter and summer breaks. We take the dates straight from the council's own published calendar (linked below), convert them into one consistent format, and recheck them each academic year. School-day counts exclude weekends and half term but not inset days, which individual schools choose themselves.

Brighton and Hove term dates 2026/27

PeriodStartsEndsLength
Autumn term 2026 termWednesday, 2 September 2026Friday, 18 December 202673 school days
October half term holidayMonday, 26 October 2026Friday, 30 October 2026
Christmas holiday holidaySaturday, 19 December 2026Sunday, 3 January 2027
Spring term 2027 termMonday, 4 January 2027Thursday, 25 March 202754 school days
February half term holidayMonday, 15 February 2027Friday, 19 February 2027
Easter holiday holidayFriday, 26 March 2027Sunday, 11 April 2027
Summer term 2027 termMonday, 12 April 2027Wednesday, 21 July 202769 school days
May half term holidayTuesday, 1 June 2027Friday, 4 June 2027
Council notes for 2026/27:
  • Term starts on Wednesday 2 September 2026 for most pupils. Tuesday 1 September is usually an INSET day, but check with individual schools.
  • There are 5 INSET days in total, chosen by individual schools.
  • Summer half term is Tuesday 1 June to Friday 4 June 2027; Monday 31 May 2027 is the spring bank holiday.
  • The council's 2026/27 calendar PDF gives day counts of 39, 35, 30, 24, 34 and 33 for the six half-term blocks, 195 in total including the 5 INSET days.
  • These dates apply to community schools maintained by the council, not academies, free schools or independent schools.
  • The council also publishes a calendar PDF at https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2025-06/School%20Term%20Dates%202026-27.pdf

Brighton and Hove term dates 2027/28

PeriodStartsEndsLength
Autumn term 2027 termThursday, 2 September 2027Friday, 17 December 202772 school days
October half term holidayMonday, 25 October 2027Friday, 29 October 2027
Christmas holiday holidaySaturday, 18 December 2027Monday, 3 January 2028
Spring term 2028 termTuesday, 4 January 2028Friday, 31 March 202859 school days
February half term holidayMonday, 14 February 2028Friday, 18 February 2028
Easter holiday holidaySaturday, 1 April 2028Monday, 17 April 2028
Summer term 2028 termTuesday, 18 April 2028Friday, 21 July 202865 school days
May half term holidayTuesday, 30 May 2028Friday, 2 June 2028
Council notes for 2027/28:
  • The council's 2027/28 calendar PDF marks Wednesday 1 September 2027 as an INSET day for most schools and Thursday 2 September 2027 as the first day of term. The web page wording says term starts on Wednesday 1 September for most pupils while also calling Wednesday 1 September an INSET day; the calendar PDF is used to resolve this and pupils start on Thursday 2 September 2027.
  • There are 5 INSET days in total, chosen by individual schools.
  • Summer half term is Tuesday 30 May to Friday 2 June 2028; Monday 29 May 2028 is the spring bank holiday.
  • The council's 2027/28 calendar PDF gives day counts of 38, 35, 29, 30, 28 and 35 for the six half-term blocks, 195 in total including the 5 INSET days.
  • These dates apply to community schools maintained by the council, not academies, free schools or independent schools.
  • The council also publishes a calendar PDF at https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2026-04/School%20Term%20Dates%202027%20to%202028_0.pdf
Source: these dates come from Brighton & Hove City Council's official term dates page, last checked by us on 12 September 2026. If the council amends its calendar mid-year, its page is the authority; tell us and we'll correct ours. Read how we compile term dates.

Common questions

When is October half term in Brighton and Hove?

October half term in Brighton and Hove runs from Monday, 26 October 2026 to Friday, 30 October 2026. Pupils return the following school day.

When do Brighton and Hove schools break up for Christmas?

The autumn term in Brighton and Hove ends on Friday, 18 December 2026, so that is the last day of school before the Christmas holiday.

When do Brighton and Hove schools break up for summer?

The summer term ends on Wednesday, 21 July 2027. The summer holiday starts the next day.

Is Brighton and Hove's October half term the same as neighbouring councils?

Partly. Of the 18 other South East councils we cover, 15 share Brighton and Hove's October half term week in 2026/27, while Isle of Wight, Surrey, West Berkshire differ. If your children attend schools under different councils, check both pages before booking.

Do all schools in Brighton and Hove follow these dates?

No. These are Brighton & Hove City Council's published dates for community and voluntary-controlled schools. Academies, free schools, foundation schools and private schools set their own calendars, and every school adds its own inset days. Check with your school before booking anything you can't refund.

Tempted by term-time prices? Taking children out of school during term can mean a penalty notice, and the rules differ across the UK. How school fines work, nation by nation.

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