Oxfordshire's October half term is 26 to 30 October, but three Abingdon schools break on 16 October and two Cambrian schools stay shut until 3 November.
Oxfordshire County Council sets one set of term dates for the schools it maintains, and the October half term on that calendar is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026. Most Abingdon families will find their own school’s dates differ somewhere. The town’s three big independent schools start the October break a week early, on 16 October, and finish for Christmas a week before the state schools. Larkmead and King Alfred’s Academy, both in the Cambrian Learning Trust, keep pupils at home on Monday 2 November for a trust-wide staff day. This page sets out the county calendar, then each school’s own dates as published on its website, all read on 25 September 2026.
The quick answer
- The county’s October half term is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026, and the Christmas holiday runs Monday 21 December 2026 to Friday 1 January 2027, with schools back on Monday 4 January.
- Abingdon School, St Helen and St Katharine and Radley College all break for October on Friday 16 October and return on Sunday 1 or Monday 2 November.
- Larkmead School and King Alfred’s Academy pupils do not return until Tuesday 3 November.
Oxfordshire’s term dates for 2026/27
These are the dates on the county council’s school term dates and holidays page, with a printable 2026/27 calendar. The council has named Tuesday 1 September 2026 as a countywide staff training (INSET) day.
| Period | Dates |
|---|---|
| Autumn term | Wednesday 2 September to Friday 23 October 2026 |
| October half term | Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026 |
| Autumn term | Monday 2 November to Friday 18 December 2026 |
| Christmas holiday | Monday 21 December to Thursday 31 December 2026 (1 January is a bank holiday) |
| Spring term | Monday 4 January to Friday 12 February 2027 |
| February half term | Monday 15 to Friday 19 February 2027 |
| Spring term | Monday 22 February to Thursday 25 March 2027 |
| Easter holiday | Good Friday 26 March, then Tuesday 30 March to Friday 9 April 2027 |
| Summer term | Monday 12 April to Friday 28 May 2027 |
| Late spring half term | Tuesday 1 to Friday 4 June 2027 (31 May is a bank holiday) |
| Summer term | Monday 7 June to Wednesday 21 July 2027 |
The county’s calendar has 190 pupil days and five training days. Schools choose where the other training days fall, which is why the council’s own page tells parents to check the return date with their school.
For 2027/28 the council has already published its dates: the autumn term runs from 6 September to 22 October 2027, with the October half term on 25 to 29 October 2027.
October 2026: who is off when
| School | Last day before the break | Pupils back |
|---|---|---|
| Oxfordshire County Council calendar | Friday 23 October | Monday 2 November |
| John Mason School | Friday 23 October (3.10pm) | Monday 2 November |
| Fitzharrys School | Friday 23 October | Monday 2 November |
| Larkmead School | Thursday 22 October (23 October is an INSET day) | Tuesday 3 November |
| King Alfred's Academy, Wantage | Wednesday 21 October (22 and 23 October are INSET days) | Tuesday 3 November |
| St Helen and St Katharine | Friday 16 October | Monday 2 November |
| Abingdon School | Friday 16 October (5.20pm) | Monday 2 November (boarders Sunday 1 November) |
| Radley College | Friday 16 October (12.40pm, Leave-Away) | Sunday 1 November (9pm) |
King Alfred’s Academy has the longest state school break in the district: its Term 1 ends on Wednesday 21 October, and Monday 2 November is a “Trust Development Day” with school closed to students, so pupils are away for eight school days. Larkmead’s term dates list the same Monday as a “VAT Conference (All Staff)” day with the school closed to students.
Two more one-off closures to know about this term. Fitzharrys School closes at 1.10pm on Thursday 1 October for its open evening and is shut to students on Friday 2 October, a training day. John Mason School has a training day on Friday 25 September.
What is on locally during the county’s half term week is on our October half term page.
Christmas: the independents finish a week early
| School | Term ends | Spring term starts |
|---|---|---|
| Radley College | Tuesday 8 December (10.15am) | Tuesday 5 January |
| Abingdon School | Friday 11 December (1pm) | Tuesday 5 January |
| St Helen and St Katharine | Friday 11 December (12 noon) | Tuesday 5 January |
| John Mason School | Friday 18 December (1.10pm) | Tuesday 5 January (4 January is INSET) |
| Fitzharrys School | Friday 18 December (1.10pm) | Tuesday 5 January (4 January is INSET) |
| Larkmead School | Friday 18 December | Tuesday 5 January (4 January is INSET) |
| King Alfred's Academy | Friday 18 December (buses 12.30pm) | Tuesday 5 January (4 January is INSET) |
Every school on this list keeps Monday 4 January as a training day or a boarders’ return day, so although the county calendar starts the spring term that Monday, no pupil at these seven schools is taught until Tuesday 5 January 2027.
School by school, for the rest of the year
John Mason School, Wootton Road (term dates PDF): follows the county’s holidays. Training days on 1, 2 and 25 September, 4 January and Monday 12 April, so students return after Easter on Tuesday 13 April. Early 1.10pm finishes on 18 December, 25 March and 21 July.
Fitzharrys School, Northcourt Road (term dates PDF): follows the county’s holidays. The summer term ends a day early for students, on Tuesday 20 July at 1.10pm, with Wednesday 21 July a staff training day.
Larkmead School, Faringdon Road (term dates): training days on 23 October, 4 January and Friday 9 July 2027, plus the 2 November closure. Term ends 21 July.
King Alfred’s Academy, Wantage (term dates): after October, it follows the county dates. Terms 2, 4 and 6 end with buses at 12.30pm.
Abingdon School, Park Road (term and key dates): February half term from 5.20pm on Friday 12 February to Sunday 21 February. The summer term begins on Tuesday 20 April, a week after the county’s, and ends at 1pm on Friday 9 July. The school asks parents not to request extensions to its holidays.
St Helen and St Katharine, Faringdon Road (term dates): February half term 15 to 19 February; Lent term ends at noon on Thursday 25 March; Trinity term begins Monday 19 April and ends at noon on Friday 9 July.
Radley College (term dates): boarders also have an Advent Weekend from 12.40pm on Friday 20 November to 9pm on Monday 23 November. Lent term ends Tuesday 23 March; the summer term runs from Monday 12 April to the Gaudy on Saturday 3 July 2027.
Still to check
Primary schools in Abingdon mostly follow the county calendar but set their own training days, so check your own school’s website. Every school above can move a date in the year; Abingdon School’s list, for example, was amended on 7 September. We will re-read these calendars before the Christmas break.
For the rest of the winter’s practical information, see bin collection days and the Christmas changes, Christmas and New Year travel and parking in Abingdon.
Frequently asked questions
When is October half term 2026 in Oxfordshire? Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026 on the county council’s calendar. Abingdon School, St Helen and St Katharine and Radley College break earlier, after Friday 16 October.
When do Oxfordshire schools break up for Christmas 2026? The county’s autumn term ends on Friday 18 December 2026. Radley College finishes on Tuesday 8 December, and Abingdon School and St Helen and St Katharine on Friday 11 December.
When do schools go back in January 2027? The county’s spring term starts on Monday 4 January 2027, but all seven schools on this page use that day for training or boarders’ return, so pupils are back on Tuesday 5 January.
Is 1 September 2026 an INSET day? Yes. Oxfordshire County Council named Tuesday 1 September 2026 as a countywide training day.
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