Staffordshire's October half term is 26 to 30 October and Christmas runs 21 Dec to 1 Jan. Plus the Stafford schools whose INSET days and breaks differ.

Most Stafford and Stone schools break up for October half term on Friday 23 October 2026 and go back on Monday 2 November. The Christmas holiday is Monday 21 December to Friday 1 January, and the spring term starts on Monday 4 January 2027. Those are Staffordshire County Council’s dates. Several of the biggest local schools add INSET days around them, so the day your child is actually off can differ by a day or two.

The quick answer

  • October half term: Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026.
  • Christmas: last day Friday 18 December, holiday Monday 21 December to Friday 1 January, back Monday 4 January 2027.
  • February half term 15 to 19 February 2027, Easter 29 March to 9 April, May half term 31 May to 4 June, summer term ends Wednesday 21 July 2027.

Staffordshire’s 2026/27 dates

These come from the county council’s school term dates page, last updated on 4 June. The council sets them for community, voluntary controlled, community special and maintained nursery schools. Academies, free schools, foundation and voluntary aided schools can set their own, and the council says they are “encouraged to accept” its dates but do not have to.

Term Starts Half term Ends Holiday after
Autumn 2026 Wed 2 Sep (INSET day Tue 1 Sep) Mon 26 to Fri 30 Oct Fri 18 Dec Mon 21 Dec to Fri 1 Jan
Spring 2027 Mon 4 Jan Mon 15 to Fri 19 Feb Thu 25 Mar Mon 29 Mar to Fri 9 Apr
Summer 2027 Mon 12 Apr Mon 31 May to Fri 4 Jun Wed 21 Jul Thu 22 Jul to Wed 1 Sep

Three fixed points sit outside those rows. Good Friday is 26 March 2027, the day after the spring term ends, and Easter Sunday is 28 March. The May Day bank holiday is Monday 3 May 2027. Pupils attend for 190 days and staff for 195. The county fixed only one INSET day for everyone, Tuesday 1 September 2026. The other four are chosen by each school.

Where the big Stafford schools differ

We checked each school’s own published calendar on 25 September. Most follow the county’s holidays but place their INSET days in different weeks, which is what catches parents out.

School October half term Autumn term ends Spring term starts Summer term ends INSET and closure days
Walton High 26 to 30 Oct Fri 18 Dec, closes 12.50pm Tue 5 Jan (INSET Mon 4 Jan) Tue 20 Jul 1 Sep, 9 Oct, 4 Jan, 25 Jun, 21 Jul
Sir Graham Balfour 26 to 30 Oct Fri 18 Dec Mon 4 Jan Wed 21 Jul (INSET) 1 Sep, 23 Oct, 2 Nov, 22 Jan, 21 Jul
King Edward VI High 26 to 30 Oct Fri 18 Dec Tue 5 Jan Wed 21 Jul 1 Sep, 2 Sep, 18 Sep, 4 Jan, 25 Mar
Blessed William Howard 26 to 30 Oct Fri 18 Dec Tue 5 Jan (INSET Mon 4 Jan) Wed 21 Jul 1 Sep, 23 Oct, 2 Nov, 4 Jan, 22 Feb, 25 Mar
Alleyne’s Academy, Stone 26 to 30 Oct Fri 18 Dec Tue 5 Jan (INSET Mon 4 Jan) Wed 21 Jul 1 Sep, 2 Sep, 23 Oct, 27 Nov, 4 Jan
Stafford Grammar (independent) Thu 22 to Fri 30 Oct Wed 16 Dec Wed 6 Jan (INSET Tue 5 Jan) Fri 2 Jul 1 Sep, 5 Jan, 12 Apr

What the table means in practice:

  • A long weekend either side of half term is common. Sir Graham Balfour, Blessed William Howard and Alleyne’s all close on Friday 23 October, and Sir Graham Balfour and Blessed William Howard also close on Monday 2 November. Those pupils get eleven days off, not nine.
  • Five of the six go back a day late in January. Walton, King Edward VI, Blessed William Howard, Alleyne’s and Stafford Grammar all have no pupils in on Monday 4 or Tuesday 5 January. Blessed William Howard also closes on Monday 22 February, the day after February half term.
  • Stafford Grammar runs to its own calendar. Half term starts on a Thursday, Christmas starts two days early on 16 December, and the summer term ends on 2 July 2027, nearly three weeks before the state schools.
  • King Edward VI and Blessed William Howard close on Thursday 25 March, the last day of the county’s spring term, so their Easter break effectively starts a day earlier.

Primary schools are not in this table. Most community and voluntary controlled primaries use the county dates, but each still picks four INSET days, so check your school’s newsletter or website for those.

Next year, for planning ahead

The county has already published 2027/28: autumn term starts Friday 3 September 2027 after an INSET day on Thursday 2 September, October half term is 25 to 29 October 2027, and Christmas runs 20 to 31 December 2027, with the spring term starting Tuesday 4 January 2028. Easter 2028 is late, 10 to 21 April, because Easter Sunday is 16 April.

The week-by-week plan for half term itself, with what is on locally, is on our October half term page. If you are driving to a school run through roadworks, our roadworks and travel page tracks the current closures, and parking in Stafford covers the town centre car parks.