West Northants half term is 26 to 30 October, but Northampton School for Boys, Caroline Chisholm and Northampton High break up on 16 October. Every date.
West Northamptonshire Council publishes one set of term dates for 2026/27, and the biggest secondary schools in Northampton do not all follow it. Three of the five we checked take a two-week October break starting on Monday 19 October, a week before the council’s half term begins. All five add their own training days on dates the council counts as school days, and one of them, Northampton Academy, closes for two of them at the end of November. This page gives the council’s dates for 2026/27 and 2027/28 first, then every difference we found, school by school, from each school’s own published calendar.
The quick answer
- Council October half term: Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026. Northampton School for Boys, Caroline Chisholm School and Northampton High School are off from Monday 19 October, two weeks in all.
- Christmas holiday: Monday 21 December 2026 to Friday 1 January 2027. Every state school we checked finishes on Friday 18 December. Northampton High finishes on Tuesday 15 December.
- Back in January: council schools Monday 4 January. Northampton School for Girls returns Tuesday 5 January, Northampton Academy and Caroline Chisholm on Wednesday 6 January, after training days.
- Spring half term: 15 to 19 February 2027. Every school we checked matches it.
West Northamptonshire’s term dates for 2026/27
These are the council’s dates for community and voluntary controlled schools, from its term dates page, last updated 27 April 2026. The council says “academies, free, foundation and voluntary aided schools may choose their own term dates”, and in Northampton most secondaries are academies. It also notes that “5 training days are chosen at the discretion of individual schools every academic year”, so none of the training days below appear on the council’s calendar.
| Term | Starts | Ends | Half term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn 2026 | Tue 1 September | Fri 18 December | Mon 26 to Fri 30 October |
| Spring 2027 | Mon 4 January | Thu 25 March | Mon 15 to Fri 19 February |
| Summer 2027 | Mon 12 April | Wed 21 July | Mon 31 May to Fri 4 June |
The Christmas holiday is Monday 21 December to Friday 1 January. The Easter holiday is Friday 26 March to Friday 9 April, with Good Friday on 26 March and Easter Monday on 29 March. The summer holiday starts on Thursday 22 July 2027. Bank holidays inside term are Monday 3 May and Monday 31 May, the second of which falls in half term.
The October half term is two weeks at three of the five
This is the difference that catches families out. Five of Northampton’s largest secondaries publish their own 2026/27 calendars, and they split into two camps.
| School | Last day before the break | Back in school | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Northamptonshire Council | Fri 23 October | Mon 2 November | One week |
| Northampton School for Boys | Fri 16 October | Mon 2 November | Two weeks |
| Caroline Chisholm School | Fri 16 October | Mon 2 November | Two weeks |
| Northampton High School | Fri 16 October | Mon 2 November | Two weeks |
| Northampton School for Girls | Fri 23 October, 3.30pm | Mon 2 November | One week |
| Northampton Academy | Fri 23 October, 3.15pm | Mon 2 November | One week |
Northampton School for Boys lists its half term as Monday 19 to Friday 23 October and its second term starting on Monday 2 November, which leaves pupils at home for the council’s half term week as well (NSB term dates). Caroline Chisholm School closes on Friday 16 October and reopens on Monday 2 November, and its calendar says plainly that its dates “are different from the term dates published by the Local Authority” (Caroline Chisholm School term dates). Northampton High School, the independent girls’ school in Hardingstone, gives a two-week half term from the week commencing Monday 19 October (Northampton High term dates).
What this means for the week of 19 to 23 October is set out on our October half term page, which also lists what is on locally in both weeks.
The training days still to come this year
Every school we checked starts the year with two training days on Tuesday 1 and Wednesday 2 September, so pupils returned on Thursday 3 September at the earliest. The dates that matter now are the ones still ahead.
| School | Autumn | Spring | Summer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northampton School for Boys | None | None | Mon 12 April, Fri 25 June |
| Northampton School for Girls | Fri 20 and Mon 23 November | Mon 4 January | None |
| Northampton Academy | Fri 27 and Mon 30 November | Mon 4 and Tue 5 January | Mon 12 April |
| Caroline Chisholm School | Fri 27 November | Mon 4 and Tue 5 January | Mon 12 April |
| Northampton High School | No training days listed on its calendar | ||
Northampton School for Girls lists 20 and 23 November as “disaggregated” training days, which means a full training day’s hours are spread across the year and the two dates are taken as pupil-free days (NSG term dates PDF). Northampton Academy closes for pupils at 3.15pm on Thursday 26 November and does not reopen until Tuesday 1 December (Northampton Academy term dates PDF).
The rest of the year, school by school
The four state schools we checked line up with the council for Christmas, the February half term and the summer break, with one exception in January.
- Christmas: all four finish on Friday 18 December. Northampton School for Boys returns Monday 4 January. Northampton School for Girls returns Tuesday 5 January. Northampton Academy and Caroline Chisholm return Wednesday 6 January.
- February half term: all four close on Friday 12 February and reopen on Monday 22 February, matching the council’s 15 to 19 February.
- Easter: all four close on Thursday 25 March. Northampton School for Boys, Northampton Academy and Caroline Chisholm reopen on Tuesday 13 April after a training day on the Monday. Northampton School for Girls reopens on Monday 12 April.
- May half term: all four close on Friday 28 May and reopen on Monday 7 June, matching the council’s 31 May to 4 June.
- Summer: all four finish on Wednesday 21 July. Northampton Academy closes at 1.25pm that day.
Northampton High School runs a different year altogether: all pupils start on Monday 7 September, the autumn term ends on Tuesday 15 December, the spring term runs from Wednesday 6 January to Wednesday 24 March, and the summer term from Tuesday 13 April to Friday 9 July, with a one-week half term from Monday 31 May.
West Northamptonshire’s term dates for 2027/28
The council has already published the following year, which is useful for anyone booking ahead. The autumn term starts later than usual, on Thursday 2 September 2027.
| Term | Starts | Ends | Half term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn 2027 | Thu 2 September | Fri 17 December | Mon 25 to Fri 29 October |
| Spring 2028 | Tue 4 January | Fri 7 April | Mon 14 to Fri 18 February |
| Summer 2028 | Mon 24 April | Fri 21 July | Mon 29 May to Fri 2 June |
The Christmas holiday runs from Monday 20 December 2027 to Monday 3 January 2028, with bank holidays on 27 and 28 December and 3 January. The Easter holiday is Monday 10 to Friday 21 April 2028, and the summer holiday starts on Monday 24 July 2028.
How to check your own school’s dates
If your child’s school is not one of the five above, do not rely on the council’s calendar unless the school is a community or voluntary controlled school. Most Northampton primaries and secondaries are academies and publish a term dates page or PDF on their own website. Look for the training days in particular: the council’s five allowance can fall anywhere, and two schools here have chosen the end of November. Fines for term-time holidays are set by the school’s own calendar, which is why Northampton School for Boys states that it “cannot authorise holidays in term time” and records them as unauthorised absence.
Frequently asked questions
When is October half term in Northampton in 2026?
The council’s half term is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October. Northampton School for Boys, Caroline Chisholm School and Northampton High School are closed for two weeks from Monday 19 October. Northampton School for Girls and Northampton Academy follow the council’s week.
When do Northampton schools break up for Christmas 2026?
Friday 18 December at the four state schools we checked, and the council’s calendar. Northampton High breaks up on Tuesday 15 December.
When do schools go back in January 2027?
Monday 4 January on the council’s calendar and at Northampton School for Boys. Northampton School for Girls returns on Tuesday 5 January, Northampton Academy and Caroline Chisholm on Wednesday 6 January.
Do West Northamptonshire’s dates apply to academies?
No. The council’s page says academies, free, foundation and voluntary aided schools may set their own. Check the school’s website.
Sources
- West Northamptonshire Council, Term dates, last updated 27 April 2026
- Northampton School for Boys, Term dates
- Northampton School for Girls, Term dates 2026 to 2027 (PDF)
- Northampton Academy, Term dates for parents 2026-2027 (PDF)
- Caroline Chisholm School, Term dates
- Northampton High School, Term dates
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