London school holidays 2027: every half term and holiday date, borough by borough
By The London Scoop team✓ Last updated ⏱ 10 min read
Short answer: in most London boroughs, the 2027 school holidays are February half term Mon 15 to Fri 19 February, Easter Fri 26 March to Fri 9 April, May half term Mon 31 May to Fri 4 June, and summer from Fri 23 July (last day of term Thu 22 July), with the new school year starting Wed 1 September 2027. October half term 2027 is Mon 25 to Fri 29 October, and Christmas runs from Mon 20 December 2027 to Mon 3 January 2028. A handful of boroughs differ, mostly at the end of the summer term, and we list every one we could check below. Each date comes from the council's own term-dates page, checked on 26 October 2026.
🦊 Quick answer
February half term 2027: Mon 15 to Fri 19 Feb, the same in every borough we checked
Easter 2027: Fri 26 Mar (Good Friday) to Fri 9 Apr, back Mon 12 Apr
Summer 2027: most schools break up Thu 22 Jul. Ealing, Brent, Bromley, Kingston, Richmond and Tower Hamlets differ
September 2027: most schools go back Wed 1 Sep. Bromley goes back early (Thu 26 Aug)
Academies and free schools can set their own dates, so always check the school's own calendar for INSET days
October 2026: new guide. Camden, Hackney, Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea had not yet published 2027–28 dates when we checked, and we'll update this page when they do.
How we checked: we read the official term-dates page (or PDF) of each London council listed in the borough table below. Where a council's own page disagreed with gov.uk on a bank holiday, we went with gov.uk. These dates apply to community and voluntary-controlled schools; academies, free schools, faith schools and independent schools may differ, and every school adds its own INSET (training) days on top.
February half term is the one holiday where London is almost perfectly in sync: every council term-dates page we checked, from Barking to Hillingdon, lists Mon 15 to Fri 19 February 2027. Kingston and Richmond (run by Achieving for Children) and Bromley, which differ elsewhere in the year, match too.
Scoop tip: Half term is the week the big museums get busiest. Book free timed tickets where they're offered, and go first thing or after 2pm.
Honest parent details
Chinese New Year falls on Sunday 7 February 2027, the weekend before, and the Southbank Centre's Imagine children's festival traditionally runs across this half term. Our February half term 2027 guide has the details.
🏦 Good Friday 26 Mar and Easter Monday 29 Mar are bank holidays
Easter Sunday 2027 is 28 March, so the Easter holidays start early. Most London councils finish the spring term on Thursday 25 March, with Good Friday (26 March) as the first day off, and schools go back on Monday 12 April.
Scoop tip: The Boat Race is on Sunday 11 April 2027, the last day of the holidays for most London children, and it's free to watch from the riverbank.
Honest parent details
Tower Hamlets lists its Easter break as Mon 29 Mar to Fri 9 Apr, but Good Friday is a bank holiday, so in practice children there are off from the same day. For what's on, see our Easter holidays 2027 guide.
May half term starts with the spring bank holiday on Monday 31 May 2027 and runs to Friday 4 June. Every borough we checked uses these dates.
Honest parent details
There's also an extra day off earlier in the term: the early May bank holiday is Monday 3 May 2027. At least one council page we read listed it as 4 May, which is wrong. Gov.uk confirms 3 May.
📅 Most boroughs: from Fri 23 Jul 2027 (last day Thu 22 Jul)
🏫 Most boroughs: back Wed 1 Sep 2027
⚠️ Six boroughs finish on a different day, see below
For most London state schools, the last day of the 2026–27 school year is Thursday 22 July 2027, and the new year starts on Wednesday 1 September. That's a six-week break with the summer bank holiday (Mon 30 Aug) and Notting Hill Carnival weekend at the end of it.
Scoop tip: If you're booking a summer holiday abroad, check your own school's last day. Flights on Fri 23 and Sat 24 July will be the busiest.
Honest parent details
The exceptions: Ealing finishes on Tue 27 Jul. Brent finishes on Mon 26 Jul, or Wed 21 Jul at schools that don't take its three optional religious-festival days. Bromley, Kingston, Richmond and Tower Hamlets finish on Fri 23 Jul. At the other end, Bromley schools go back early, on Thu 26 Aug, while Kingston, Richmond and Redbridge go back on Thu 2 Sep.
October half term 2027 is Monday 25 to Friday 29 October in every borough that has published 2027–28 dates, apart from Bromley, which has a two-week break from Monday 18 October.
Honest parent details
Camden, Hackney, Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea hadn't published their 2027–28 term dates when we checked on 26 October 2026. Camden says its dates will be published in October 2026.
🏦 Bank holidays: Mon 27 Dec, Tue 28 Dec, Mon 3 Jan
Christmas Day and Boxing Day 2027 fall on a Saturday and Sunday, so the bank holidays move to Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December, and New Year's Day's moves to Monday 3 January 2028. That's why most councils have schools returning on Tuesday 4 January 2028.
Honest parent details
Lewisham lists the holiday as Monday 20 to Friday 31 December, with schools back on Tuesday 4 January after the bank holiday.
The table shows where each borough differs. "Pattern" means the standard London dates above. We've only filled in what we could confirm on the council's own website; where we couldn't, we say so.
London borough term dates, summer 2027 and autumn 2027. Checked 26 October 2026.
Borough
Last day, summer term 2027
First day, Sept 2027
Oct half term 2027
Barking & Dagenham
Thu 22 Jul
Wed 1 Sep
25–29 Oct
Barnet
Not checked: the council's site blocked our checks. See barnet.gov.uk.
Bexley
Thu 22 Jul
2027–28 not checked yet
Brent
Mon 26 Jul (Wed 21 Jul if not taking the optional religious-festival days)
Wed 1 Sep
25–29 Oct
Bromley
Fri 23 Jul
Thu 26 Aug
18–29 Oct (two weeks)
Camden
Thu 22 Jul
Not yet published (due October 2026)
City of London
Set by each school
Croydon
Thu 22 Jul
Wed 1 Sep
25–29 Oct
Ealing
Tue 27 Jul
Wed 1 Sep
25–29 Oct
Enfield
Thu 22 Jul
Wed 1 Sep
25–29 Oct
Greenwich
Thu 22 Jul
Wed 1 Sep
25–29 Oct
Hackney
Thu 22 Jul
Not yet published
Hammersmith & Fulham
Thu 22 Jul
Wed 1 Sep
25–29 Oct
Haringey
Thu 22 Jul
Wed 1 Sep
25–29 Oct
Harrow
Thu 22 Jul
Wed 1 Sep
25–29 Oct
Havering
Thu 22 Jul
Wed 1 Sep
25–29 Oct
Hillingdon
Thu 22 Jul
Wed 1 Sep
25–29 Oct
Hounslow
Thu 22 Jul
Wed 1 Sep
25–29 Oct
Islington
Thu 22 Jul
Wed 1 Sep
25–29 Oct
Kensington & Chelsea
Thu 22 Jul
Not yet published
Kingston upon Thames
Fri 23 Jul
Thu 2 Sep
25–29 Oct
Lambeth
Thu 22 Jul
Wed 1 Sep
25–29 Oct
Lewisham
Thu 22 Jul
Wed 1 Sep
25–29 Oct
Merton
Thu 22 Jul
Wed 1 Sep
25–29 Oct
Newham
Thu 22 Jul
2027–28 not confirmed on the council's site yet
Redbridge
Thu 22 Jul
Thu 2 Sep
25–29 Oct
Richmond upon Thames
Fri 23 Jul
Thu 2 Sep
25–29 Oct
Southwark
Thu 22 Jul
2027–28 not confirmed on the council's site yet
Sutton
Thu 22 Jul
Wed 1 Sep
25–29 Oct
Tower Hamlets
Fri 23 Jul
Wed 1 Sep
25–29 Oct
Waltham Forest
Thu 22 Jul
Wed 1 Sep
25–29 Oct
Wandsworth
Thu 22 Jul
Wed 1 Sep
25–29 Oct
Westminster
Thu 22 Jul
Not yet published
Not your borough's own school? Use gov.uk's school term and holiday dates finder, which takes you to your council's page.
Bank holidays in 2027
Fri 1 Jan: New Year's Day
Fri 26 Mar: Good Friday
Mon 29 Mar: Easter Monday
Mon 3 May: Early May bank holiday
Mon 31 May: Spring bank holiday
Mon 30 Aug: Summer bank holiday (Notting Hill Carnival Adults' Parade day)
Mon 27 Dec: Christmas Day (substitute day)
Tue 28 Dec: Boxing Day (substitute day)
Source: gov.uk/bank-holidays. New Year's Day 2028 is a Saturday, so the bank holiday is Mon 3 Jan 2028.
Monday 15 to Friday 19 February 2027, with children back at school on Monday 22 February. Every London borough we checked uses these dates.
When are the Easter holidays 2027 in London?
For most London state schools, Friday 26 March (Good Friday) to Friday 9 April 2027, back on Monday 12 April. Easter Sunday is 28 March 2027.
When do London schools break up for summer 2027?
Most break up on Thursday 22 July 2027. Ealing finishes on Tuesday 27 July, Brent on Monday 26 July (or Wednesday 21 July at some schools), and Bromley, Kingston, Richmond and Tower Hamlets on Friday 23 July.
When does the 2027–28 school year start in London?
Wednesday 1 September 2027 in most boroughs. Bromley starts early on Thursday 26 August, and Kingston, Richmond and Redbridge start on Thursday 2 September. Camden, Hackney, Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea hadn't published 2027–28 dates on 26 October 2026.
When is October half term 2027 in London?
Monday 25 to Friday 29 October 2027 in every borough that has published dates, except Bromley, which has a two-week break from Monday 18 to Friday 29 October.
When is May half term 2027?
Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027. Monday 31 May is also the spring bank holiday.
Do academies follow council term dates?
Not necessarily. Academies, free schools and independent schools set their own dates, and every school adds its own INSET days. Check your school's calendar before booking anything non-refundable.
