Northumberland schools break for October half term on Friday 23 October and for Christmas on 18 December. Every 2026/27 holiday, plus school INSET days.

Northumberland’s council-run schools break up for October half term on Friday 23 October 2026 and go back on Monday 2 November. The Christmas holiday runs from Friday 18 December to Monday 4 January 2027, and the school year ends on Wednesday 21 July 2027. Those are Northumberland County Council’s dates. Many schools then add their own training days on either side, and several academies set a different calendar altogether.

The quick answer

  • October half term: Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026. Schools close on Friday 23 October and reopen on Monday 2 November.
  • Christmas: schools close on Friday 18 December 2026 and reopen on Monday 4 January 2027.
  • Summer 2027: schools close on Wednesday 21 July 2027, but many take the last three days as training days, so pupils finish on Friday 16 July.

Northumberland school holidays 2026/27

These are the council’s dates from its school term and holiday dates page, last updated on 11 September 2026.

Holiday Schools close Schools reopen
October half term 2026 Friday 23 October 2026 Monday 2 November 2026
Christmas and New Year Friday 18 December 2026 Monday 4 January 2027
February half term 2027 Friday 12 February 2027 Monday 22 February 2027
Easter 2027 Thursday 25 March 2027 Monday 12 April 2027
May half term 2027 Friday 28 May 2027 Monday 7 June 2027
Summer 2027 Wednesday 21 July 2027 Monday 6 September 2027

The autumn term started on Tuesday 1 September 2026. The council’s printable 2026/27 calendar explains the numbers behind it: pupils must be taught for 190 days, the calendar holds 195 term days, and schools use the other five as non-teaching days, on dates they choose themselves.

Training days: why your school may break earlier

The council publishes every mainstream school’s own non-teaching days in one list, its teacher training days 2026/27 PDF. Almost every school used Tuesday 1 September. After that the patterns split, and they change the holidays a family actually gets.

School Training days after 1 September What it means for pupils
The Duchess High School, Alnwick 23 Oct, 2 Nov, 22 Feb, 28 Jun Half term runs from Thursday 22 October to Monday 2 November
Ponteland High School 23 Oct, 2 Nov, 22 Feb, 28 Jun The same longer October break
Cramlington Learning Village 22 Oct, 23 Oct, 12 Feb, 18 Jun Pupils finish for half term on Wednesday 21 October
Queen Elizabeth High School, Hexham 23 Oct, 19, 20 and 21 Jul Longer half term; summer starts after Friday 16 July
The King Edward VI School, Morpeth 4 Jan, 19, 20 and 21 Jul Back on Tuesday 5 January; summer starts after 16 July
Ashington Academy 6 Nov, 19, 20 and 21 Jul Summer starts after Friday 16 July
Bedlington Academy 6 Nov, 19, 20 and 21 Jul Summer starts after Friday 16 July
The Blyth Academy 18 Dec, 19, 20 and 21 Jul Christmas starts after Thursday 17 December
Seaton Valley High School 18 Dec, 4 Jan, 12 Apr, 28 May Christmas starts after 17 December; back on 5 January
Prudhoe Community High School 4 Jan, 19, 20 and 21 Jul Back on Tuesday 5 January; summer starts after 16 July

Four schools had not set their days when the list was published: Berwick Academy, Mowbray Primary, Cragside CE Primary and Seghill First School all show “TBD”. Haydon Bridge High School has set only 2 September. The council adds that training days “can be subject to change at the discretion of the school”, so the school’s own letter or website is the final word.

Morpeth’s first schools show the widest spread. Morpeth First School, Stannington and Tritlington take 2 September, 30 November, 28 May and 25 June, while Abbeyfields, Morpeth All Saints and Stobhillgate take 4 January and the last three days of July.

Bede Academy runs its own calendar

Academies, foundation trust schools and voluntary aided church schools do not have to follow the council’s dates, the council notes. Bede Academy in Blyth publishes its own 2026/27 term times. The holidays themselves match the county’s, but the start and end of the year do not:

Bede Academy Council calendar
Autumn term starts Monday 7 September 2026 Tuesday 1 September 2026
Spring term starts Tuesday 5 January 2027 Monday 4 January 2027
Summer term ends Friday 16 July 2027 Wednesday 21 July 2027

Bede’s October half term (26 to 30 October), Christmas break from Friday 18 December, February half term (15 to 19 February) and May half term (31 May to 4 June) are the same as the council’s. It adds two more training days during the year on dates it has not listed.

Next year: 2027/28

The council has already published its 2027/28 term dates. Schools reopen after summer 2027 on Monday 6 September 2027.

Taking children out in term time

The council’s page says parents can be fined for taking a child out of school in term time without consent, and that an absence for a family holiday is unlikely to be authorised. If a head teacher does authorise one, it is for them to decide how long.

Closures in bad weather

Schools announce snow and emergency closures on their own websites, social media and parent mail. The council also posts them on its alerts page, and lists Metro Radio, BBC Tyne, Heart FM and Capital FM as stations that carry them.

Frequently asked questions

When is October half term 2026 in Northumberland?

Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026. Council schools close on Friday 23 October and reopen on Monday 2 November. Several secondary schools also take Friday 23 October or Monday 2 November as a training day.

When do Northumberland schools break up for Christmas 2026?

On Friday 18 December 2026, returning on Monday 4 January 2027. The Blyth Academy and Seaton Valley High School have a training day on 18 December, so their pupils finish on Thursday 17 December.

When does the 2026/27 school year end in Northumberland?

The council’s calendar ends on Wednesday 21 July 2027. Many schools, including Queen Elizabeth High School, The King Edward VI School and Ashington Academy, use 19, 20 and 21 July as training days, so their pupils finish on Friday 16 July.

What is the Easter holiday 2027?

Schools close on Thursday 25 March 2027 and reopen on Monday 12 April 2027.

Still to be confirmed

  • Training days for Berwick Academy, Haydon Bridge High School and the other schools marked “TBD”.
  • The October half term itself is fixed. What’s on locally that week is on our October half term page.

For the Christmas fortnight, see the Christmas bin collections and Christmas trains pages.