East Riding schools break for October half term on 26 October and for Christmas on 21 December 2026. Every 2026/27 holiday, plus the schools that differ.

East Riding schools that follow the council’s calendar break up for October half term on Friday 23 October 2026 and go back on Monday 2 November. The Christmas holidays run from Monday 21 December 2026 to Friday 1 January 2027. Those are the council’s recommended dates; several of the district’s biggest schools use their own, and every school adds its own closure days on top.

The quick answer

  • October half term: Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026.
  • Christmas holidays: Monday 21 December 2026 to Friday 1 January 2027, back on Monday 4 January.
  • Spring half term: Monday 8 February to Friday 12 February 2027.

East Riding term dates 2026/27

These are the dates East Riding of Yorkshire Council recommends, as published on its school term dates page, checked on 25 September 2026. They apply to community and voluntary controlled schools. Academies, free schools and independent schools can set their own.

Term or holiday Dates
Autumn term, first half Monday 7 September to Friday 23 October 2026
October half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026
Autumn term, second half Monday 2 November to Friday 18 December 2026
Christmas holidays Monday 21 December 2026 to Friday 1 January 2027
Spring term, first half Monday 4 January to Friday 5 February 2027
February half term Monday 8 February to Friday 12 February 2027
Spring term, second half Monday 15 February to Friday 19 March 2027
Easter holidays Monday 22 March to Friday 2 April 2027 (Good Friday is 26 March, Easter Monday 29 March)
Summer term, first half Monday 5 April to Friday 28 May 2027 (May Day bank holiday Monday 3 May)
May half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027
Summer term, second half Monday 7 June 2027 to the end of the school year

The council’s page prints the last day of the summer term as Monday 26 July 2027. That is a Monday, which is unusual, and South Hunsley, which otherwise follows the council’s pattern, finishes on Friday 23 July. Check your own school’s calendar before booking anything for that weekend.

INSET and non-contact days

The council’s calendar does not show training days. Its printed 2026/27 calendar says schools can set five non-contact days when the school is closed to pupils, while the web page says each school “will allocate two additional closure days”. Either way, the dates differ from school to school, and the only place to find them is the school’s own calendar. September starts are where they bunch up: many schools use Monday 7 September, the council’s first day of term, as a training day.

Schools with different dates

Several large schools that East Riding families use publish their own calendars. These are the ones we checked, all from the schools’ own pages on 25 September 2026.

School October half term Christmas Notes
Council calendar 26 to 30 October 21 December to 1 January Back Monday 4 January
South Hunsley, Melton 26 to 30 October Term ends Thursday 17 December Training days Mon 4 January and Fri 19 March; summer term ends Fri 23 July
Pocklington School (independent) Friday 23 October to Wednesday 4 November Term ends Tuesday 15 December Day pupils return the morning after the boarders’ date
Hymers College, Hull (independent) Thursday 22 October to Tuesday 3 November Term ends Friday 18 December, half day Mid-term holiday Friday 30 April; summer term ends Friday 9 July

The practical upshot: families with children at Pocklington School or Hymers alongside a council-calendar school get a two-week October break at the independent school and a one-week break at the other, overlapping in the week of 26 October.

South Hunsley in detail

South Hunsley starts the year in stages: a staff training day on Monday 7 September, Years 7 and 12 on Tuesday 8 September, everyone else from Wednesday 9 September. The autumn term ends on Thursday 17 December, a day early. The spring term starts on Tuesday 5 January after a training day, and ends on Thursday 18 March, with another training day on Friday 19 March.

Pocklington School in detail

Pocklington School’s Michaelmas term runs from Thursday 10 September to Tuesday 15 December 2026, finishing at 12.20pm for the prep school and 12.50pm for the senior school. Half term starts at 3.50pm on Friday 23 October, and the school’s dates show boarders returning on Wednesday 4 November, so day pupils are back on the Thursday. There are exeat weekends on 2 to 4 October and 20 to 22 November. The Lent term runs from Wednesday 6 January to Wednesday 17 March 2027, with half term from 3.50pm on Friday 5 February.

Hymers College in detail

Hymers is in Hull but draws many pupils from Cottingham, Hessle, Beverley and the villages. Its October half term is Thursday 22 October to Tuesday 3 November 2026 inclusive, so pupils are back on Wednesday 4 November. The autumn term ends with a half day on Friday 18 December. Spring term starts on Monday 4 January 2027, in line with the council.

Finding your own school’s dates

  • The council’s page links a printable 2026/27 calendar, and one for 2027/28.
  • Academies usually publish a PDF calendar on their “term dates” or “calendar” page. The Headlands School calendar in Bridlington, for example, notes that it follows the council’s dates for community and voluntary controlled schools.
  • The council’s own warning applies: its dates do not show other closures, such as polling days or building works.

Already planning 2027/28

The council has also published next year. The October 2027 half term is Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October, and the Christmas holidays run from Monday 20 December 2027 to Tuesday 4 January 2028.