Ealing's 2026/27 term dates: half term 26 to 30 October, Christmas break from 21 December, back 4 January. Plus 14 secondaries whose dates differ, and 2027/28.
Ealing’s community schools break for October half term from Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026, finish for Christmas on Friday 18 December, and go back on Monday 4 January 2027. Those are Ealing Council’s dates, and they apply to community primary, high and special schools and to community-maintained nurseries.
The catch is that many of the borough’s secondary schools are academies, foundation, voluntary aided or independent schools, and they set their own calendars. We read the published 2026/27 dates of 14 of them. Several break up for Christmas on 16 December, three take a longer October half term, and one, Cardinal Wiseman, takes two full weeks.
The quick answer
- Council (community school) dates 2026/27: term starts Wednesday 2 September; half term 26 to 30 October; last day Friday 18 December; back Monday 4 January 2027; February half term 15 to 19 February; Easter holiday 26 March to 9 April; May half term 31 May to 4 June; summer term ends Tuesday 27 July 2027.
- Academies and church schools differ. Twyford, Ealing Fields, William Perkin and Ada Lovelace finish on 16 December; Greenford High on 17 December; Cardinal Wiseman’s half term runs 26 October to 6 November; Brentside’s runs 22 October to 2 November.
- INSET days are set school by school. The council does not list them. The ones we found are in the table below.
Source for the council dates: Term and holiday dates, academic year 2026/27, Ealing Council. The same dates are on the Ealing Grid for Learning, last updated 9 September 2026.
The council calendar in full
| Term | Dates |
|---|---|
| Autumn term 2026 | Wed 2 September to Fri 18 December |
| October half term | Mon 26 to Fri 30 October |
| Christmas holiday | Mon 21 December 2026 to Fri 1 January 2027 |
| Spring term 2027 | Mon 4 January to Thu 25 March |
| February half term | Mon 15 to Fri 19 February |
| Easter holiday | Fri 26 March to Fri 9 April |
| Summer term 2027 | Mon 12 April to Tue 27 July |
| May Day | Mon 3 May |
| May half term | Mon 31 May to Fri 4 June |
The council’s schedule sets out 198 days, from which each community school must choose five training days, decided by the headteacher with staff. Community schools also get three occasional holidays set with their governing body. So even at a community school, the first day pupils actually attend is often later than 2 September, and the calendar above will be shortened by up to eight days that only the school’s own website will show. Teachers work 195 days and pupils attend 190.
Secondary schools that set their own dates
Everything in this table was read from each school’s own published calendar on 24 September 2026. Where a school’s start is staggered, the date given is the first day all year groups are in.
| School | All pupils back | October half term | Last day before Christmas | Back in January | Summer term ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Council community schools | Wed 2 Sep (before INSET days) | 26 to 30 Oct | Fri 18 Dec | Mon 4 Jan | Tue 27 Jul |
| Twyford CofE, Acton | Wed 9 Sep (Y7 and Y12 on 8 Sep) | 26 to 30 Oct | Wed 16 Dec | Mon 4 Jan, 11.15am | Wed 21 Jul |
| Ealing Fields CofE, Little Ealing | Wed 9 Sep (Y7 on 8 Sep) | 26 to 30 Oct | Wed 16 Dec | Mon 4 Jan | Wed 21 Jul |
| William Perkin CofE, Greenford | Wed 9 Sep (Y7 and Y12 on 8 Sep) | 26 to 30 Oct | Wed 16 Dec | Mon 4 Jan | Wed 21 Jul |
| Ada Lovelace CofE, Ealing | Wed 9 Sep (Y7 and Y12 on 8 Sep) | 26 to 30 Oct | Wed 16 Dec | Mon 4 Jan | Wed 21 Jul |
| Cardinal Wiseman, Greenford | Thu 3 Sep (Y7 on 2 Sep) | 26 Oct to 6 Nov | Fri 18 Dec | Mon 4 Jan | Thu 22 Jul |
| Greenford High | Fri 4 Sep (induction 3 Sep) | 26 to 30 Oct | Thu 17 Dec | Mon 4 Jan | Tue 20 Jul, midday |
| Brentside High, Hanwell | Thu 3 Sep | 22 Oct to 2 Nov | Fri 18 Dec | Mon 4 Jan | Fri 23 Jul |
| Elthorne Park High, Hanwell | Thu 3 Sep | 22 to 30 Oct | Fri 18 Dec | Mon 4 Jan | Wed 21 Jul |
| Villiers High, Southall | Fri 4 Sep (Y7 and Y12 on 3 Sep) | 26 to 30 Oct | Fri 18 Dec, 12.30pm | Mon 4 Jan | Tue 20 Jul, 12.30pm |
| Featherstone High, Southall | Mon 7 Sep, 10.15am (Y7 and Y12 from 3 Sep) | 26 Oct to 3 Nov | Fri 18 Dec | Mon 4 Jan | Fri 16 Jul |
| Alec Reed Academy, Northolt | Staggered from Fri 4 Sep | 26 to 30 Oct | Fri 18 Dec, half day | Tue 5 Jan | Fri 23 Jul, half day |
| Ellen Wilkinson, Acton | Wed 2 Sep | 26 to 30 Oct | Fri 18 Dec | Tue 5 Jan | Fri 16 Jul |
| St Benedict’s, Ealing (independent) | Thu 3 Sep | 19 to 30 Oct | Wed 16 Dec | Tue 5 Jan (Upper Sixth 4 Jan) | Fri 9 Jul |
| Notting Hill and Ealing High (independent) | Mon 7 Sep | 19 to 30 Oct | Tue 15 Dec | Tue 5 Jan | Fri 9 Jul |
Some things the table cannot show:
- The two-week half terms are real. Cardinal Wiseman’s autumn half term is Monday 26 October to Friday 6 November inclusive. Brentside is closed to pupils from Thursday 22 October, with training days on 22 October and 2 November, and pupils return on Tuesday 3 November. Featherstone’s runs to Tuesday 3 November. St Benedict’s and Notting Hill and Ealing High take the two weeks before the council’s week, 19 to 30 October, so their pupils are back at school while the borough’s community schools are off.
- Christmas breaks up to a week early at the Twyford Trust schools. Twyford, Ealing Fields, William Perkin and Ada Lovelace all finish on Wednesday 16 December and start their Christmas holiday on 17 December. St Benedict’s also finishes on 16 December and Notting Hill and Ealing High on 15 December.
- Villiers’ own page has a slip. It gives half term as “Monday 26 October to Friday 31 October”, but 31 October 2026 is a Saturday. The Friday is 30 October, matching everyone else.
- Ealing Fields’ PDF has a typo too. It states the autumn term as “Tuesday 8th September 2026 - Wednesday 16th December 2027”. The year should read 2026, as its own Christmas holiday line confirms.
We could not read a 2026/27 calendar on 24 September from the websites of Drayton Manor High School, Dormers Wells High School or Northolt High School, so they are not in the table. Check those schools directly.
INSET and occasional days by school
These are the days pupils are not in school during term time, as published by each school. Community schools are not listed here because the council leaves the choice to each headteacher.
| School | Days closed to pupils in 2026/27 |
|---|---|
| Twyford | 28 Sep (target setting, pupils attend appointments only), 2 Oct, 2 Nov, 13 Nov, 12 Feb, 7 Jun |
| Ealing Fields | 2 to 7 Sep (staff training), 28 Sep, 2 Oct, 2 Nov, 20 Nov, 12 Feb, 7 Jun |
| William Perkin | 2 to 7 Sep, 2 Oct, 2 Nov, 20 Nov, 12 Feb, 7 Jun |
| Ada Lovelace | 2 to 7 Sep, 2 Oct, 2 Nov, 20 Nov, 12 Feb, 7 Jun |
| Cardinal Wiseman | 1 Sep |
| Greenford High | 1 and 2 Sep, 2 Nov, 27 Nov |
| Brentside | 2 Sep, 22 Oct, 2 Nov, 27 Nov, 22 Feb |
| Elthorne Park | 23 Nov |
| Villiers | 1 and 2 Sep, 30 Nov, 10 Mar (occasional day for Eid, to be confirmed), 28 Jun |
| Featherstone | 2 Sep, 25 Sep, 20 Nov, 23 Nov, 10 Mar |
| Alec Reed | 2 and 3 Sep, 2 Nov, 4 Jan, 12 Apr |
| Ellen Wilkinson | 1 Sep, 4 Jan, 12 Apr, 19 to 26 Jul |
| St Benedict’s | Not listed on its term dates page |
| Notting Hill and Ealing High | 3 and 4 Sep, 16 Oct, 4 Jan, 16 Apr |
Every date is from the school’s own page or PDF, linked in the first table. Brentside publishes its half term as a single closed block, 22 October to 2 November, with the two staff days at each end of it.
Half term: what is on
October half term for most Ealing pupils is 26 to 30 October, with Halloween falling on the Saturday. Our Ealing half term and Halloween page lists what is confirmed at The Questors, Pitzhanger and Gunnersbury for that week, and what is still to be announced. If your child is at Cardinal Wiseman, Brentside or Featherstone, remember the week after is a holiday too.
2027/28 dates
The council has already published the following year, on the same page (academic year 2027/28):
| Term | Dates |
|---|---|
| Autumn term 2027 | Wed 1 September to Fri 17 December |
| October half term | Mon 25 to Fri 29 October 2027 |
| Christmas holiday | Mon 20 December 2027 to Mon 3 January 2028 |
| Spring term 2028 | Tue 4 January to Fri 31 March |
| February half term | Mon 14 to Fri 18 February 2028 |
| Easter holiday | Mon 3 to Mon 17 April 2028 |
| Summer term 2028 | Tue 18 April to Wed 26 July |
| May half term | Mon 29 May to Fri 2 June 2028 |
Notting Hill and Ealing High and St Benedict’s have also published 2027/28. Both take a two-week half term again, 18 to 29 October 2027, and NHEHS finishes for Christmas on Wednesday 15 December 2027.
Still to be confirmed
- Community school INSET days, which each school publishes on its own site.
- Villiers’ occasional day for Eid, marked “TBC” on its page.
- Drayton Manor, Dormers Wells and Northolt High, whose 2026/27 calendars we could not read online.
This page was checked against every linked source on 24 September 2026. If your school’s dates change mid-year, its own website wins.
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