October half term is 26 to 30 October, Christmas break from 21 December. The West Sussex dates plus the INSET days four Mid Sussex secondaries have set.

Schools in Mid Sussex break for October half term on Friday 23 October and go back on Monday 2 November 2026. The autumn term ends on Friday 18 December, and spring term starts on Monday 4 January 2027. Those are West Sussex County Council’s dates. Academies and independent schools set their own, and several local secondaries add INSET days that change the picture for their families.

The quick answer

  • October half term: Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026. All four secondaries we checked use the same week.
  • Christmas: last day Friday 18 December, back Monday 4 January. Downlands in Hassocks breaks up a day earlier, on Thursday 17 December.
  • February half term: 15 to 19 February 2027. It is also the week of a nine-day rail closure through Haywards Heath.

West Sussex term dates 2026/27

The county council sets these dates for the schools it maintains and for voluntary controlled schools. The school year has about 195 days, and each school can use five of them for staff training (INSET) days, so the number of days children are actually in is 190.

Term Starts Half term Ends
Autumn 2026 Tuesday 1 September Monday 26 to Friday 30 October Friday 18 December
Spring 2027 Monday 4 January Monday 15 to Friday 19 February Thursday 25 March
Summer 2027 Monday 12 April Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June Wednesday 21 July

The county’s calendar PDF breaks the year into six terms of 39, 35, 30, 24, 34 and 33 days. Easter holidays run from Friday 26 March (Good Friday) to Friday 9 April 2027. (West Sussex County Council, School term dates and the 2026/27 calendar PDF)

The council says plainly that its dates “may not apply to academies, voluntary aided schools, further education and sixth form colleges in West Sussex, or to schools in the independent sector.” Most Mid Sussex secondaries are academies or voluntary aided, so check your own school.

Only one bank holiday falls in term time: Monday 3 May 2027, the May Day holiday. The spring bank holiday (31 May) is inside the summer half term, and the Christmas, New Year and Easter holidays all land in school holidays.

What the local secondaries have set

We read each school’s own published calendar. All four follow the county’s half terms and end dates closely. The differences are in the INSET days and the first days back.

School First day for pupils INSET days (pupils not in) Christmas: last day
Oathall Community College, Haywards Heath Wed 2 Sep (Y7, Y11); Thu 3 Sep (rest) Tue 1 Sep, Fri 18 Sep, Fri 27 Nov, Mon 22 Feb, Fri 2 Jul Fri 18 Dec, closes early
St Paul’s Catholic College, Burgess Hill Wed 2 Sep (Y7, Y12); Thu 3 Sep (rest) Tue 1 Sep, Wed 30 Sep, Fri 27 Nov, Mon 30 Nov, Tue 19 Jan, Fri 2 Jul, Mon 5 Jul Fri 18 Dec, 1pm
Sackville School, East Grinstead Wed 2 Sep (Y7, Y11); Thu 3 Sep (rest) Tue 1 Sep, Wed 25 Nov, Fri 12 Feb, Fri 2 Jul, Mon 5 Jul Fri 18 Dec, 12pm
Downlands Community School, Hassocks Wed 2 Sep Tue 1 Sep, Fri 2 Oct, Mon 2 Nov, Fri 18 Dec, Wed 21 Jul Thu 17 Dec, 3.15pm

Sources: Oathall Community College, St Paul’s Catholic College, Sackville School, Downlands Community School. St Paul’s lists seven staff training days on its page, more than the usual five; that is what the school publishes.

The dates that catch families out

  • Downlands pupils get an extra day either side of Christmas and half term. Its INSET days on Monday 2 November and Friday 18 December mean pupils go back after October half term on Tuesday 3 November, and break up for Christmas on Thursday 17 December at 3.15pm.
  • St Paul’s closes on Friday 27 and Monday 30 November, giving its pupils a four-day weekend at the end of November. Oathall also closes on Friday 27 November.
  • Sackville’s pupils start February half term a day early. Its INSET on Friday 12 February makes the break nine days.
  • Summer term ends early at St Paul’s and Sackville. Both close for INSET on Friday 2 and Monday 5 July 2027, another four-day weekend.
  • Easter ends at lunchtime for some. Sackville finishes at 12pm and St Paul’s at 3pm on Thursday 25 March.

Downlands’ own page prints the end of spring term as “Thursday 25th March 2026, 1215hrs 2027”; the date meant is Thursday 25 March 2027.

Plan around the February rail closure

The February half term, 13 to 21 February 2027 counting both weekends, is also when Network Rail closes the Brighton Main Line between Three Bridges and Lewes, Brighton and Hove via Haywards Heath for nine days. Southern says the work “has been timed to take place over the half-term holidays for most schools, when fewer people travel.” If you are planning a trip that week, the details are on our roadworks and travel page. (Southern, Brighton Main Line engineering work)

Independent and other schools

Independent schools, including Hurstpierpoint College, Ardingly College, Worth and Burgess Hill Girls, publish their own calendars and tend to have longer holidays. Hurstpierpoint College’s 2026/27 dates are a colour-coded provisional calendar on its term dates page. Imberhorne and Warden Park had not put a readable 2026/27 calendar on their public websites when we checked on 25 September; ask the school office.

Next year

The county has also set 2027/28: autumn term starts Wednesday 1 September 2027, half term is 25 to 29 October 2027, and the term ends Friday 17 December 2027.

What is still to be confirmed

Nothing in the county calendar is provisional. We will add Imberhorne and Warden Park when their calendars can be read, and we recheck this page each December for changes to spring term INSET days.

For what is on locally in the October week, see our October half term in Mid Sussex page.

Sources