Oxfordshire's October half term is 26 to 30 October and Christmas runs 21 December to 1 January. Gillotts, Henley College, Shiplake and more compared below.
Oxfordshire’s state schools break for October half term on Friday 23 October and go back on Monday 2 November 2026. Christmas runs from Monday 21 December to Friday 1 January, and the spring term starts on Monday 4 January 2027. Those are the county council’s dates, and most Henley, Wallingford and Thame schools follow them. The differences are in the INSET days, which every school sets for itself, and in three local schools that break earlier or come back later.
The quick answer
- October half term: Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026 for county schools, Gillotts, Wallingford School and Lord Williams’s.
- Christmas: last day Friday 18 December, back Monday 4 January 2027, though Lord Williams’s and The Henley College both return on Tuesday 5 January.
- The Henley College takes two weeks at October, 19 to 30 October, and Shiplake College breaks on Friday 16 October and returns on 2 November.
Oxfordshire County Council term dates 2026/27
These are the dates the county sets for its community and voluntary controlled schools, and the pattern most academies copy (Oxfordshire County Council, school term dates and holidays; 2026/27 calendar PDF).
| Term or holiday | Dates |
|---|---|
| INSET day (county-wide) | Tuesday 1 September 2026 |
| Autumn term | Wednesday 2 September to Friday 23 October |
| October half term | Monday 26 to Friday 30 October |
| Autumn term | Monday 2 November to Friday 18 December |
| Christmas holiday | Monday 21 December to Friday 1 January 2027 |
| Spring term | Monday 4 January to Friday 12 February |
| February half term | Monday 15 to Friday 19 February |
| Spring term | Monday 22 February to Thursday 25 March |
| Easter holiday | Friday 26 March (Good Friday) to Friday 9 April |
| Summer term | Monday 12 April to Friday 28 May |
| May half term | Monday 31 May (bank holiday) to Friday 4 June |
| Summer term | Monday 7 June to Wednesday 21 July 2027 |
The county lists the Christmas break as ending on 31 December because 1 January is a bank holiday, so no school is open that day either way. The same goes for Easter: the spring term ends on Thursday 25 March, the day before Good Friday.
The council names only one INSET day, 1 September 2026, as county-wide. Its own advice is to check your school’s website for the rest, “as schools have different INSET days”. That is where the local differences come from.
How the Henley, Wallingford and Thame schools differ
The big local secondaries and the two biggest post-16 and independent options publish their own calendars. All of the dates below come from each school’s own 2026/27 document.
| School | Last day before October half term | Back after half term | Last day before Christmas | Back in January | Last day in July |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County pattern | Fri 23 Oct | Mon 2 Nov | Fri 18 Dec | Mon 4 Jan | Wed 21 Jul |
| Gillotts School, Henley | Fri 23 Oct | Mon 2 Nov | Fri 18 Dec (12.30pm) | Mon 4 Jan | Fri 16 Jul |
| The Henley College | Fri 16 Oct | Mon 2 Nov | Fri 18 Dec | Tue 5 Jan | Wed 14 Jul |
| Shiplake College | Fri 16 Oct (3.30pm) | Mon 2 Nov | Wed 16 Dec (12.30pm) | Wed 6 Jan | Wed 30 Jun |
| Wallingford School | Wed 21 Oct | Mon 2 Nov | Fri 18 Dec (12.40pm) | Mon 4 Jan | Wed 21 Jul (12.40pm) |
| Lord Williams’s School, Thame | Fri 23 Oct (2.50pm) | Mon 2 Nov | Fri 18 Dec (12.55pm) | Tue 5 Jan | Wed 21 Jul (12.55pm) |
Gillotts School, Henley
Gillotts follows the county’s holidays but has five INSET days of its own: Tuesday 1 September, Friday 25 September 2026, and Monday 19 to Wednesday 21 July 2027. That makes Friday 16 July 2027 the last day for students, five days before the county’s term ends. The school also closes at 12.30pm on Thursday 24 September (for its open evening), on Friday 18 December and on Friday 16 July, and Monday 3 May is the May Day bank holiday (Gillotts School, term dates for 2026-27).
The Henley College
The sixth-form college runs on a different calendar from the schools. Its autumn half term is two weeks, Monday 19 October to Friday 30 October 2026. Monday 4 January 2027 is an INSET day, so students return on Tuesday 5 January. The spring and May half terms match the county, and the summer term ends on Wednesday 14 July 2027, a week before the schools (The Henley College, college term dates).
Shiplake College
The independent school breaks earliest and for longest. Half term runs from Friday 16 October at 3.30pm to Sunday 1 November, with exeats on 25 to 27 September and 20 to 22 November. The autumn term ends at 12.30pm on Wednesday 16 December after the carol service, day pupils return on Wednesday 6 January, and the summer term ends on Wednesday 30 June 2027 after prize giving. The school marks all its dates as provisional (Shiplake College, term dates 2026-2027).
Wallingford School
Wallingford puts two staff training days at the end of the first half term, on Thursday 22 and Friday 23 October, so students finish on Wednesday 21 October. There is a third on Wednesday 27 January 2027. It closes at 12.40pm on 18 December and on 21 July (Wallingford School, term dates 2026-2027).
Lord Williams’s School, Thame
Lord Williams’s has INSET days on Friday 2 October and Friday 27 November 2026, then Monday 4 January and Monday 12 April 2027, so students return after Christmas on Tuesday 5 January and after Easter on Tuesday 13 April. The Easter holiday on its calendar runs from Monday 29 March to Friday 9 April, and it finishes early at 12.55pm on 6 October (open evening), 18 December and 21 July (Lord Williams’s School, term dates 2026-2027).
Primary schools
Henley’s primaries are not listed here one by one. Most follow the county holidays, but each still sets its own INSET days, and an academy trust can move them. Check the school’s own term dates page before you book anything in the first or last week of a half term.
What to plan now
- October half term is the week of 26 October for almost every school in the district. What is on locally that week, with dates and prices, is on our Henley October half term page.
- Christmas: bin collections shift from 25 December and do not catch up until 16 January 2027, set out on our Henley bin collection days page. Travel over the break is on Henley Christmas trains and travel.
- Driving the school run: live road closures are on our Henley roadworks and travel page, and car park prices on parking in Henley.
Still to be confirmed
The county has already set 2027/28 dates in the same decision as this year’s (Oxfordshire County Council, decision on school term dates 2026/27 and 2027/28). Schools publish their own 2027/28 INSET days through the spring. This page will be updated when Gillotts, Wallingford and Lord Williams’s publish theirs.
Dates checked against each school’s and the county council’s published calendars on 25 September 2026.
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