Bucks schools break for half term 26 to 30 October and for Christmas on 18 December. Sir Henry Floyd and Mandeville take two weeks off in October.
Buckinghamshire Council’s school year for 2026/27 has October half term from Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026, the Christmas holiday from Monday 21 December, and the year ending on Wednesday 21 July 2027 (Buckinghamshire Council). Most Aylesbury secondary schools are academies and set their own dates, and several differ by a day or a week.
The quick answer
- October half term: Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026 for council-calendar schools. Sir Henry Floyd, The Mandeville School and the Kingsbrook School are off for two weeks, from 19 October.
- Christmas: schools break up on Friday 18 December and return on Monday 4 January 2027. Aylesbury Grammar and Aylesbury High finish a day earlier, at 1pm on Thursday 17 December, and return on Tuesday 5 January.
- February half term: 15 to 19 February 2027. Easter: 26 March to 9 April 2027.
Buckinghamshire Council term dates 2026/27
These are the dates for community and voluntary controlled schools, and the council says most other schools try to stay close to them.
| Term | Starts | Half term | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn 2026 | Wednesday 2 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 holidays in between are Christmas, Monday 21 December 2026 to Friday 1 January 2027, and Easter, Friday 26 March to Friday 9 April 2027. The Early May bank holiday on Monday 3 May 2027 is also a day off.
The council’s calendar for 2026/27 sets 190 days for pupils and 195 for teachers. That means five INSET (training) days: one fixed on Tuesday 1 September 2026, and four more that each school chooses. So two schools on the same council calendar can still close on different days, and the school’s own website is the only place to check those.
How the big Aylesbury schools differ
Academies, foundation and voluntary aided schools set their own dates. These are from each school’s or trust’s own published calendar.
| School | October break | Last day before Christmas | Back in January | Last day of the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Council calendar | 26 to 30 Oct | Fri 18 Dec | Mon 4 Jan | Wed 21 Jul |
| Aylesbury Grammar School | Closes after Thu 22 Oct, back Tue 3 Nov | Thu 17 Dec, 1pm | Tue 5 Jan | Fri 16 Jul |
| Aylesbury High School | INSET Fri 23 Oct and Mon 2 Nov around the half term | Thu 17 Dec, 1pm | Tue 5 Jan | Fri 16 Jul |
| Insignis Academy Trust: Sir Henry Floyd, The Mandeville School, The Kingsbrook School, Ashmead | Two weeks, Mon 19 to Fri 30 Oct | Fri 18 Dec, early closure | Mon 4 Jan | Wed 21 Jul, early closure |
| Royal Latin School, Buckingham | Closes after Thu 22 Oct, back Tue 3 Nov | Fri 18 Dec, 12.30pm | Tue 5 Jan | Wed 21 Jul, 12.30pm |
Three things stand out.
- Sir Henry Floyd, The Mandeville School and The Kingsbrook School are off for two weeks in October, from Monday 19 to Friday 30 October, according to the Insignis Academy Trust’s 2026/27 calendar. A family with one child there and another at a council-calendar primary has a week when only one of them is at school.
- Aylesbury Grammar, Aylesbury High and the Royal Latin all add training days either side of the half term, so pupils are off from Friday 23 October to Monday 2 November inclusive and go back on Tuesday 3 November.
- Aylesbury Grammar and Aylesbury High finish the summer term on Friday 16 July 2027, three school days before the council calendar.
The other training days that fall in term time:
- Aylesbury Grammar: Tuesday 1 and Wednesday 2 September 2026, Monday 4 January and Friday 28 May 2027.
- Aylesbury High: 1 and 2 September, 23 October, 2 November, 4 January and 28 May. Only Year 7 and Year 12 are in on Thursday 3 September.
- Royal Latin: 1 September, Monday 28 September, 23 October, 2 November and 4 January.
- Insignis Academy Trust: Tuesday 1 to Thursday 3 September 2026, with Year 7 and Year 12 starting at Sir Henry Floyd on Friday 4 September.
What to plan around
What is on locally during the October break is on our Aylesbury October half term page. The Christmas lights go on at Christmas on the Cobbles on Sunday 22 November, and the Waterside panto opens on 4 December, a fortnight before the schools break up.
The council has already published its 2027/28 calendar: the autumn term starts on Wednesday 1 September 2027 and October half term is 25 to 29 October 2027.
Still to be confirmed
- Each school’s four floating INSET days on the council calendar. Primary schools publish these on their own sites, usually in the newsletter or the term dates page.
- Individual Insignis schools’ early-closure days for open evenings in the first half term, which the trust says are on each school’s website.
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