Lewisham schools break up on Friday 18 December 2026 and return on 4 January. Every 2026/27 holiday, plus where Hatcham, Prendergast and St Dunstan's differ.

Lewisham’s council term dates for 2026/27 have October half term from 26 to 30 October. Term then runs to Friday 18 December, and the spring term starts on Monday 4 January 2027. The dates bind the borough’s community schools only. Academies, voluntary aided schools and independents set their own, and some of the biggest local schools differ by a week or more. Four of their calendars are compared below.

The quick answer

  • October half term: Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026 on the council’s calendar.
  • Christmas: school ends Friday 18 December 2026 and restarts Monday 4 January 2027.
  • February half term: 15 to 19 February 2027. Easter: 26 March to 9 April. Summer term ends Thursday 22 July 2027.

The council’s term dates for 2026/27

These are Lewisham Council’s school term and holiday dates for 2026/27. The year has 195 days: pupils attend 190 of them, and each governing body sets the other five as INSET (teacher training) days.

Term Dates Days
Autumn, first half Wednesday 2 September to Friday 23 October 2026 38
October half term Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026
Autumn, second half Monday 2 November to Friday 18 December 2026 35
Christmas holiday Monday 21 December 2026 to Friday 1 January 2027
Spring, first half Monday 4 January to Friday 12 February 2027 30
February half term Monday 15 to Friday 19 February 2027
Spring, second half Monday 22 February to Thursday 25 March 2027 24
Easter holiday Friday 26 March to Friday 9 April 2027
Summer, first half Monday 12 April to Friday 28 May 2027 34
May half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027
Summer, second half Monday 7 June to Thursday 22 July 2027 34

The early May bank holiday on Monday 3 May 2027 is a day off within the summer term. The spring bank holiday, 31 May, falls in half term.

The council’s page says these dates apply to community primary, secondary and special schools. Voluntary aided schools, foundation schools and academies set their own holiday dates, and in Lewisham that covers a lot of the secondary places.

Where the big local schools differ

These are each school’s own published calendars, checked on 25 September 2026.

School October break Christmas Last day of the year
Council calendar 26 to 30 Oct 18 Dec to 4 Jan Thu 22 Jul
Haberdashers’ Hatcham College, New Cross 19 to 30 Oct (two weeks) 18 Dec to 5 Jan Wed 21 Jul
Prendergast School, Hilly Fields 23 to 30 Oct 18 Dec to 4 Jan Wed 21 Jul
Prendergast Ladywell School 23 to 30 Oct 18 Dec (12.10pm) to 4 Jan Wed 21 Jul (12.10pm)
St Dunstan’s College, Catford (independent) 19 Oct to 1 Nov 18 Dec (noon) to 11 Jan Summer dates on its site

Haberdashers’ Hatcham College takes a two-week October break, from Monday 19 to Friday 30 October. Pupils do not come back until Tuesday 3 November, because 2 November is an INSET day. Its other 2026/27 INSET days are 3 and 4 September, 27 November, 4 January, 22 February, 12 April and 22 July, so the spring term starts for pupils on Tuesday 5 January (term dates).

Prendergast School on Hilly Fields and Prendergast Ladywell School follow the council’s holidays but add a federation INSET day on Friday 23 October, so their half term starts a day early. Both also have INSET days on Monday 2 and Tuesday 3 November, so pupils return on Wednesday 4 November (Prendergast School, Prendergast Ladywell). Prendergast Ladywell finishes at 12.10pm on the last day of each term.

St Dunstan’s College in Catford, an independent school, breaks from Friday 16 October until Monday 2 November. At Christmas it breaks at noon on 18 December, and senior pupils do not return until Tuesday 12 January 2027; the junior school goes back a day earlier (term dates).

If your child’s school is not listed, look for a “term dates” or “key information” page on its own website. For primaries in an academy trust, the trust sometimes publishes one calendar for every school it runs.

Christmas and bank holidays

The public holidays over the school year are, from GOV.UK: Christmas Day on Friday 25 December 2026, the Boxing Day substitute on Monday 28 December, New Year’s Day on Friday 1 January 2027, Good Friday on 26 March and Easter Monday on 29 March. The council’s term dates page gives the Boxing Day substitute as 29 December, but GOV.UK’s date is the right one.

Planning around the dates

Still to be confirmed

  • Summer 2027 dates for St Dunstan’s College beyond the start of the Trinity term. We will add them when the school’s page carries them.
  • Council dates for 2027/28 are already on the council’s page. We will add them here when the 2026/27 year ends.

Sources