Wigan school term dates & holidays 2026/27 and 2027/28

Compiled from Wigan Council's published calendar · last checked 12 September 2026

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

Wigan 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 2026Tuesday, 5 January 2027
Spring term 2027 termWednesday, 6 January 2027Wednesday, 24 March 202751 school days
February half term holidayMonday, 15 February 2027Friday, 19 February 2027
Easter holiday holidayThursday, 25 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:
  • Dates come from the council's School Working Pattern 2026-2027 PDF linked from the term dates page, at https://www.wigan.gov.uk/Docs/PDF/Resident/Education/Schools/School-Working-Pattern-2026-27.pdf.
  • The PDF gives the autumn term as 1 September to 18 December with 1 September a fixed inset day, so pupils attend from Wednesday 2 September 2026. It gives the spring term as 5 January to 24 March with 5 January a fixed inset day, so pupils attend from Wednesday 6 January 2027. The term start fields above are the first pupil days.
  • The spring term ends on Wednesday 24 March 2027, a day earlier than most neighbouring councils.
  • The PDF states there are 2 fixed inset days, with a third day during the summer term to be decided by schools, which may be in a different term. Per-term day figures are 74 (autumn), 52 (spring) and 67 (summer), a 193-day pattern reducing to a stated total of 190 pupil days once the 3 inset days are taken.
  • The term dates page states the council sets standard term dates which it asks academy, foundation and voluntary aided Wigan schools to follow, but they are not obliged to do so.

Wigan term dates 2027/28

PeriodStartsEndsLength
Autumn term 2027 termMonday, 6 September 2027Friday, 17 December 202770 school days
October half term holidayMonday, 25 October 2027Friday, 29 October 2027
Christmas holiday holidaySaturday, 18 December 2027Tuesday, 4 January 2028
Spring term 2028 termWednesday, 5 January 2028Friday, 31 March 202858 school days
February half term holidayMonday, 21 February 2028Friday, 25 February 2028
Easter holiday holidaySaturday, 1 April 2028Monday, 17 April 2028
Summer term 2028 termTuesday, 18 April 2028Friday, 21 July 202864 school days
May half term holidayMonday, 29 May 2028Friday, 2 June 2028
Council notes for 2027/28:
  • Dates come from the council's School Working Pattern 2027-2028 PDF linked from the term dates page, at https://www.wigan.gov.uk/Docs/PDF/Resident/Education/Schools/School-Working-Pattern-2027-28.pdf.
  • The PDF gives the autumn term as 3 September to 17 December with Friday 3 September a fixed inset day, so pupils attend from Monday 6 September 2027. It gives the spring term as 4 January to 31 March with Tuesday 4 January a fixed inset day, so pupils attend from Wednesday 5 January 2028. The term start fields above are the first pupil days.
  • The PDF states there are 2 fixed inset days, with a third day during the summer term to be decided by schools, which may be in a different term. Per-term day figures are 71 (autumn), 59 (spring) and 63 (summer), a 193-day pattern reducing to a stated total of 190 pupil days once the 3 inset days are taken.
  • The term dates page states the council sets standard term dates which it asks academy, foundation and voluntary aided Wigan schools to follow, but they are not obliged to do so.
Source: these dates come from Wigan 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 Wigan?

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

When do Wigan schools break up for Christmas?

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

When do Wigan schools break up for summer?

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

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

Yes. All 22 of the other North West councils we cover share the same October half term week as Wigan in 2026/27, so crossing a council border won't change your dates.

Do all schools in Wigan follow these dates?

No. These are Wigan 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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