Stockport's October half term is 26 to 30 October 2026 and Christmas starts 18 December. Every council date for 2026/27, plus the schools that differ.

Stockport’s schools break for October half term on Monday 26 October 2026 and go back on Monday 2 November. The Christmas holiday starts after school on Friday 18 December and the spring term opens on Monday 4 January 2027. Those are the council’s dates, and most of the borough’s community schools follow them. A good number of academies and both big independent schools do not, so check the table further down before you book anything.

The quick answer

  • October half term: Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026.
  • Christmas: last day Friday 18 December 2026, back Monday 4 January 2027.
  • Summer 2027 is split: primary schools finish on Wednesday 28 July, secondary schools a week earlier on Wednesday 21 July.

Stockport Council term dates 2026/27

These are the dates Stockport Council sets for community and voluntary controlled schools, from its 2026 to 2027 term dates page, last updated on 19 November 2025.

Term Starts Half term Ends
Autumn 2026 Tuesday 1 September Mon 26 to Fri 30 October Friday 18 December
Spring 2027 Monday 4 January Mon 15 to Fri 19 February Thursday 25 March
Summer 2027, primary Monday 12 April Mon 31 May to Fri 11 June Wednesday 28 July
Summer 2027, secondary Monday 12 April Mon 31 May to Fri 4 June Wednesday 21 July

Bank holidays inside term time are Good Friday 26 March and Easter Monday 29 March 2027 (both already inside the Easter break), the May Day bank holiday on Monday 3 May and the spring bank holiday on Monday 31 May.

Two things in that table catch families out every year:

  • The May half term is two weeks for primary pupils (31 May to 11 June) but only one week for secondary pupils (31 May to 4 June). If you have children in both, you have a week where only the younger one is off.
  • Secondary schools finish for the summer a week before primaries, on 21 July against 28 July.

The Easter holiday runs from Friday 26 March to Friday 9 April 2027, with term restarting on Monday 12 April.

INSET days: the council does not set them

The council’s calendar does not list staff training (INSET) days. Each school chooses its own, usually five a year, and they are the most common reason a child is off on a day the council calendar says is a school day. Your school’s website or newsletter is the only reliable place to find them. The schools below show how much they vary.

Schools that set their own dates

The council says plainly that “term dates may differ for voluntary aided schools and schools with Trust or Academy status, as these schools are able to set their own calendar”. Here is what five of the borough’s larger secondary schools have published for 2026/27, each from the school’s own calendar.

School October half term Christmas break starts after Back in January Summer ends
Council calendar 26 to 30 Oct Fri 18 Dec Mon 4 Jan Wed 21 Jul (secondary)
Stockport Grammar School (independent) 19 to 30 Oct (two weeks) Fri 18 Dec Tue 5 Jan Fri 2 Jul (Senior)
Cheadle Hulme School (independent) 19 to 30 Oct (two weeks) Thu 17 Dec Wed 6 Jan Fri 2 Jul
Stockport School (Mile End Lane) Closes Fri 23 Oct, reopens Mon 2 Nov Fri 18 Dec Mon 4 Jan Fri 16 Jul
Cheadle Hulme High School 26 to 30 Oct, plus INSET Fri 23 Oct Fri 18 Dec Tue 5 Jan Thu 15 Jul
Laurus Cheadle Hulme 26 to 30 Oct, plus INSET Fri 23 Oct Fri 18 Dec Tue 5 Jan Thu 15 Jul

What that means in practice:

  • Both independent schools take a two-week October half term, from Monday 19 October. Cheadle Hulme School also breaks up a day early for Christmas, at 12 noon (juniors) and 12.15pm (seniors) on Thursday 17 December, and holds its entrance examination on Tuesday 5 January, when the school is closed to other pupils.
  • Stockport Grammar’s senior school is closed on Tuesday 12 January 2027 for its entrance exam, while its junior school and nursery open as normal. It also has an INSET day on Monday 22 February, so its pupils get a six-day February break.
  • Stockport School’s February half term is two weeks: it closes on Friday 12 February and reopens on Monday 22 February. It also has an INSET day on Friday 27 November 2026. Its May half term runs from Friday 28 May to Monday 7 June.
  • Cheadle Hulme High and Laurus Cheadle Hulme share a calendar as part of the same trust: INSET days on Friday 23 October (so October half term starts a day early) and Monday 30 November 2026, with the spring term starting on Tuesday 5 January.

One trap worth knowing: Stockport School published a provisional draft in December 2025 that had an INSET day on Friday 9 October. That day is not in the final calendar, which moved it to 27 November. If you saved the draft, throw it away.

Next year: 2027/28

The council has already published 2027/28, from its 2027 to 2028 term dates page:

Term Starts Half term Ends
Autumn 2027 Wednesday 1 September Mon 25 to Fri 29 October Friday 17 December
Spring 2028 Tuesday 4 January Mon 14 to Fri 18 February Friday 31 March
Summer 2028, primary Tuesday 18 April Mon 29 May to Fri 9 June Friday 28 July
Summer 2028, secondary Tuesday 18 April Mon 29 May to Fri 2 June Friday 21 July

What to check before you book

  • Term-time holidays: the council says there “has never been a right to remove children from school for the purpose of a holiday”, and leave taken without the school’s permission is recorded as unauthorised and “may result in a fixed penalty fine called an Education Penalty Notice” (Stockport Council).
  • Your own school’s INSET days, which are not on the council calendar.
  • Sixth form and college dates, which follow their own calendars.

For what is actually on in the borough in the first holiday of the year, see our October half term in Stockport page. If you are driving to a school event or show, our parking in Stockport page covers the car parks and charges, and the roadworks and travel page lists the closures that are running.

Sources