Reading school term dates & holidays 2026/27 and 2027/28

Compiled from Reading Borough Council's published calendar · last checked 12 September 2026

These are the official school term dates and holidays set by Reading Borough Council for the 2026/27 and 2027/28 academic years: term start and finish dates, half terms, and the Christmas, Easter and summer breaks. We take the dates straight from the council's own published calendar (linked below), convert them into one consistent format, and recheck them each academic year. School-day counts exclude weekends and half term but not inset days, which individual schools choose themselves.

Reading term dates 2026/27

PeriodStartsEndsLength
Autumn term 2026 termWednesday, 2 September 2026Friday, 18 December 202673 school days
October half term holidayMonday, 26 October 2026Friday, 30 October 2026
Christmas holiday holidaySaturday, 19 December 2026Sunday, 3 January 2027
Spring term 2027 termMonday, 4 January 2027Thursday, 25 March 202754 school days
February half term holidayMonday, 15 February 2027Friday, 19 February 2027
Easter holiday holidayFriday, 26 March 2027Sunday, 11 April 2027
Summer term 2027 termMonday, 12 April 2027Wednesday, 21 July 202768 school days
May half term holidayMonday, 31 May 2027Friday, 4 June 2027
Council notes for 2026/27:
  • Reading Borough Council term dates are published by Brighter Futures for Children, the council-owned company that runs its education services. reading.gov.uk/termdates redirects to this page.
  • Reading publishes a six-term structure: Term 1: 1 September to 23 October 2026 (39 days); Term 2: 2 November to 18 December 2026 (35 days); Term 3: 4 January to 12 February 2027 (30 days); Term 4: 22 February to 25 March 2027 (24 days); Term 5: 12 April to 28 May 2027 (34 days); Term 6: 7 June to 21 July 2027 (33 days); 195 days in total.
  • Tuesday 1 September 2026 is an inset day. Schools return on Wednesday 2 September 2026.
  • Spring term ends Thursday 25 March 2027. The Easter break runs from Good Friday 26 March 2027 to Friday 9 April 2027, with Easter Monday on 29 March 2027.
  • The May Day bank holiday falls on Monday 3 May 2027, during Term 5.
  • Academies, free schools and other own admissions authority schools are free to set their own dates so these may be different.

Reading term dates 2027/28

PeriodStartsEndsLength
Autumn term 2027 termThursday, 2 September 2027Friday, 17 December 202772 school days
October half term holidayMonday, 25 October 2027Friday, 29 October 2027
Christmas holiday holidaySaturday, 18 December 2027Monday, 3 January 2028
Spring term 2028 termTuesday, 4 January 2028Friday, 7 April 202864 school days
February half term holidayMonday, 14 February 2028Friday, 18 February 2028
Easter holiday holidaySaturday, 8 April 2028Sunday, 23 April 2028
Summer term 2028 termMonday, 24 April 2028Friday, 21 July 202860 school days
May half term holidayMonday, 29 May 2028Friday, 2 June 2028
Council notes for 2027/28:
  • Reading publishes a six-term structure: Term 1: 2 September to 22 October 2027 (37 days); Term 2: 1 November to 17 December 2027 (35 days); Term 3: 4 January to 11 February 2028 (29 days); Term 4: 21 February to 7 April 2028 (35 days); Term 5: 24 April to 26 May 2028 (24 days); Term 6: 5 June to 21 July 2028 (35 days); 195 days in total.
  • Wednesday 1 September 2027 is an inset day. Schools return on Thursday 2 September 2027.
  • Spring term runs to Friday 7 April 2028, so the Easter break falls after it, from Monday 10 April to Friday 21 April 2028. Good Friday is 14 April 2028 and Easter Monday is 17 April 2028.
  • Half term weeks shown here are the weekday weeks between the council's published term blocks, as shaded in its 2027-28 calendar PDF. The Spring Bank Holiday falls on Monday 29 May 2028, within the May half term week.
  • Reading's 2027-28 dates differ from Bracknell Forest, Slough and Windsor and Maidenhead, which end spring term on 31 March 2028 and start summer term on 18 April 2028.
  • Academies, free schools and other own admissions authority schools are free to set their own dates so these may be different.
  • Calendar PDF: https://brighterfuturesforchildren.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Reading-Academic-school-term-dates-Calendar-27-28.pdf
Source: these dates come from Reading Borough Council's official term dates page, last checked by us on 12 September 2026. If the council amends its calendar mid-year, its page is the authority; tell us and we'll correct ours. Read how we compile term dates.

Common questions

When is October half term in Reading?

October half term in Reading runs from Monday, 26 October 2026 to Friday, 30 October 2026. Pupils return the following school day.

When do Reading schools break up for Christmas?

The autumn term in Reading ends on Friday, 18 December 2026, so that is the last day of school before the Christmas holiday.

When do Reading schools break up for summer?

The summer term ends on Wednesday, 21 July 2027. The summer holiday starts the next day.

Is Reading's October half term the same as neighbouring councils?

Partly. Of the 18 other South East councils we cover, 15 share Reading's October half term week in 2026/27, while Isle of Wight, Surrey, West Berkshire differ. If your children attend schools under different councils, check both pages before booking.

Do all schools in Reading follow these dates?

No. These are Reading Borough Council's published dates for community and voluntary-controlled schools. Academies, free schools, foundation schools and private schools set their own calendars, and every school adds its own inset days. Check with your school before booking anything you can't refund.

Tempted by term-time prices? Taking children out of school during term can mean a penalty notice, and the rules differ across the UK. How school fines work, nation by nation.

Nearby councils