Isle of Wight school term dates & holidays 2026/27 and 2027/28

Compiled from Isle of Wight Council's published calendar · last checked 12 September 2026

These are the official school term dates and holidays set by Isle of Wight 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.

Isle of Wight term dates 2026/27

PeriodStartsEndsLength
Autumn term 2026 termWednesday, 2 September 2026Friday, 18 December 202668 school days
October half term holidayMonday, 19 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, 28 July 202773 school days
May half term holidayMonday, 31 May 2027Friday, 4 June 2027
Council notes for 2026/27:
  • The autumn half term is two weeks, Monday 19 October to Friday 30 October 2026, and the summer term runs to Wednesday 28 July 2027, later than most councils.
  • The council states the autumn term starts on Tuesday 1 September 2026. There has been agreement with Island schools that one of the non-teaching days is taken on the first day of the autumn term, and the calendar grid marks 1 September as an islandwide development day with Wednesday 2 September as the first day after the break, so pupils start on 2 September 2026.
  • The remaining four non-teaching days are determined and allocated by the school as they wish; check with your child's school.
  • The dates are the determined programme for county and controlled schools. Academies, private and independent schools set their own term dates, holidays and inset days.
  • Bank and public holidays 2026/27: Christmas Day 25 December 2026, Boxing Day 26 December 2026, New Year's Day 1 January 2027, Good Friday 26 March 2027, Easter Monday 29 March 2027, May Day 3 May 2027, spring bank holiday 31 May 2027, summer bank holiday 30 August 2027.
  • The document states that the first day of the autumn term in September 2027 will not be determined until the 2027/28 timetable has been consulted upon and approved.

Isle of Wight term dates 2027/28

PeriodStartsEndsLength
Autumn term 2027 termWednesday, 1 September 2027Friday, 17 December 202768 school days
October half term holidayMonday, 18 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, 28 July 202869 school days
May half term holidayMonday, 29 May 2028Friday, 2 June 2028
Council notes for 2027/28:
  • 2027-28 dates come from the council document at https://digitalservices.iow.gov.uk/documents/download/2027-28-school-term-dates
  • The autumn half term is two weeks, Monday 18 October to Friday 29 October 2027, and the summer term runs to Friday 28 July 2028, later than most councils.
  • The document's wording says the autumn term starts on Tuesday 1 September 2027, but 1 September 2027 is a Wednesday; the calendar grid marks Wednesday 1 September as the first day after the break, so the grid date is used.
  • There has been agreement with Island schools that one of the non-teaching days is taken on the first day of the autumn term, with the remaining four determined and allocated by the school; check with your child's school.
  • The dates are the determined programme for county and controlled schools. Academies, private and independent schools set their own term dates.
  • Bank and public holidays: Christmas Day holiday 27 December 2027, Boxing Day holiday 28 December 2027, New Year's Day holiday 3 January 2028, Good Friday 14 April 2028, Easter Monday 17 April 2028, May Day 1 May 2028, spring bank holiday 29 May 2028, summer bank holiday 28 August 2028.
Source: these dates come from Isle of Wight 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 Isle of Wight?

October half term in Isle of Wight runs from Monday, 19 October 2026 to Friday, 30 October 2026. Pupils return the following school day.

When do Isle of Wight schools break up for Christmas?

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

When do Isle of Wight schools break up for summer?

The summer term ends on Wednesday, 28 July 2027. The summer holiday starts the next day.

Is Isle of Wight's October half term the same as neighbouring councils?

Partly. Of the 18 other South East councils we cover, 1 share Isle of Wight's October half term week in 2026/27, while Bracknell Forest, Brighton and Hove, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Kent, Medway, Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, Portsmouth, Reading, Slough, Southampton, West Berkshire, West Sussex, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham differ. If your children attend schools under different councils, check both pages before booking.

Do all schools in Isle of Wight follow these dates?

No. These are Isle of Wight 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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