County Durham school term dates & holidays 2026/27 and 2027/28

Compiled from Durham County Council's published calendar · last checked 7 September 2026

These are the official school term dates and holidays set by Durham County 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.

County Durham term dates 2026/27

PeriodStartsEndsLength
Autumn term 2026 termTuesday, 1 September 2026Friday, 18 December 202674 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 202768 school days
May half term holidayMonday, 31 May 2027Friday, 4 June 2027
Council notes for 2026/27:
  • Durham publishes each holiday as a 'Closing date' (last day of school) and 'Date re-opens' (first day back). Term and half-term entries above are taken directly from those pairs; half-term start and end are the school weekdays between the stated closing and re-opening dates.
  • Published pairs: Autumn half-term closes Friday 23 October 2026, re-opens Monday 2 November 2026. Christmas closes Friday 18 December 2026, re-opens Monday 4 January 2027. Spring half-term closes Friday 12 February 2027, re-opens Monday 22 February 2027. Easter closes Thursday 25 March 2027, re-opens Monday 12 April 2027. Summer closes Wednesday 21 July 2027.
  • May Day 2027: schools close Friday 30 April 2027 and re-open Tuesday 4 May 2027 (Monday 3 May 2027 off).
  • There are 195 days in the school year; up to five will be used by schools for teacher training (PD days), decided by individual schools.

County Durham term dates 2027/28

PeriodStartsEndsLength
Autumn term 2027 termWednesday, 1 September 2027Friday, 17 December 202773 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, 7 April 202864 school days
February half term holidayMonday, 14 February 2028Friday, 18 February 2028
Easter holiday holidaySaturday, 8 April 2028Sunday, 23 April 2028
Summer term 2028 termMonday, 24 April 2028Thursday, 20 July 202859 school days
May half term holidayMonday, 29 May 2028Friday, 2 June 2028
Council notes for 2027/28:
  • Durham publishes each holiday as a 'Closing date' (last day of school) and 'Date re-opens' (first day back). Term and half-term entries above are taken directly from those pairs; half-term start and end are the school weekdays between the stated closing and re-opening dates.
  • Published pairs: Autumn half-term closes Friday 22 October 2027, re-opens Monday 1 November 2027. Christmas closes Friday 17 December 2027, re-opens Tuesday 4 January 2028. Spring half-term closes Friday 11 February 2028, re-opens Monday 21 February 2028. Easter closes Friday 7 April 2028, re-opens Monday 24 April 2028. Summer closes Thursday 20 July 2028.
  • May Day 2028: schools close Friday 28 April 2028 and re-open Tuesday 2 May 2028 (Monday 1 May 2028 off).
  • There are 195 days in the school year; up to five will be used by schools for teacher training (PD days), decided by individual schools.
Source: these dates come from Durham County Council's official term dates page, last checked by us on 7 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 County Durham?

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

When do County Durham schools break up for Christmas?

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

When do County Durham schools break up for summer?

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

Is County Durham's October half term the same as neighbouring councils?

Yes. All 11 of the other North East councils we cover share the same October half term week as County Durham in 2026/27, so crossing a council border won't change your dates.

Do all schools in County Durham follow these dates?

No. These are Durham County 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.

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