East Sussex half term is 24 October to 1 November 2026, but Beacon Academy pupils finish on Wednesday 21 October. Every holiday for 2026/27, school by school.

East Sussex schools break up for October half term on Friday 23 October 2026 and go back on Monday 2 November. Christmas runs from Saturday 19 December to Sunday 3 January 2027.

Crowborough’s secondary school is the exception worth knowing about. Beacon Academy’s half term starts on Thursday 22 October, because it has put two staff training days in front of the holiday, so Beacon pupils’ last day before half term is Wednesday 21 October.

The quick answer

  • October half term (county calendar): Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November 2026
  • Christmas holiday: Saturday 19 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027
  • Beacon Academy pupils finish on Wednesday 21 October and the school returns on Monday 2 November

Everything below was checked on 25 September 2026 against East Sussex County Council’s term dates page and each school’s own published calendar.

East Sussex term dates 2026/27

These are the county’s dates for community and voluntary controlled schools.

Term or holiday Starts Ends
Term 1 Wednesday 2 September 2026 Friday 23 October 2026
Autumn half term Saturday 24 October 2026 Sunday 1 November 2026
Term 2 Monday 2 November 2026 Friday 18 December 2026
Christmas holiday Saturday 19 December 2026 Sunday 3 January 2027
Term 3 Monday 4 January 2027 Friday 12 February 2027
February half term Saturday 13 February 2027 Sunday 21 February 2027
Term 4 Monday 22 February 2027 Thursday 25 March 2027
Easter holiday Friday 26 March 2027 Sunday 11 April 2027
Term 5 Monday 12 April 2027 Friday 28 May 2027
May half term Saturday 29 May 2027 Sunday 6 June 2027
Term 6 Monday 7 June 2027 Thursday 22 July 2027
Summer holiday Friday 23 July 2027 Tuesday 31 August 2027

The county also lists a primary to secondary transition week from Monday 28 June to Friday 2 July 2027.

Two things the county says plainly on the same page:

  • the dates may not apply to academies, free schools, voluntary aided schools, sixth form colleges or independent schools
  • every school sets its own INSET days, so the county calendar never tells you which days your child is off for staff training

School by school

The big secondary schools serving Crowborough and the villages around it publish their own calendars. They mostly match the county’s holidays; the differences are in the INSET days.

Back in September Last day before October half term Last day before Christmas Back in January Last day of the year
County calendar Wed 2 Sep Fri 23 Oct Fri 18 Dec Mon 4 Jan Thu 22 Jul
Beacon Academy, Crowborough Thu 3 Sep Wed 21 Oct Fri 18 Dec Tue 5 Jan Fri 16 Jul
Uckfield College Thu 3 Sep Fri 23 Oct Fri 18 Dec Mon 4 Jan Thu 22 Jul
Heathfield Community College After INSET days on 2 and 3 Sep Fri 23 Oct Fri 18 Dec Mon 4 Jan Thu 22 Jul

Beacon Academy

Beacon Academy’s term dates page lists five INSET days in terms 1 and 2: 1 and 2 September, 22 and 23 October, and Monday 23 November. It also lists Monday 4 January, Monday 21 June and Monday 19 July 2027 as INSET days.

What that means in practice:

  • October half term at Beacon runs Thursday 22 October to Friday 30 October, a day and a half longer than the county’s
  • pupils are off on Monday 23 November for training
  • the spring term starts on Tuesday 5 January 2027, a day after most primaries
  • the summer term ends on Friday 16 July 2027, almost a week before the county’s 22 July

That last one matters if you have a child at Beacon and another at a county primary: the older one is on holiday for four school days while the younger one is still in class.

Uckfield College

Uckfield College’s 2026/27 calendar follows the county’s holidays. Its first day of term was Thursday 3 September, after a staff INSET day on Wednesday 2 September. It finishes on Friday 23 October for half term and Friday 18 December for Christmas, and its last day of the year is Thursday 22 July 2027.

The college still lists four further INSET days as “TBC”, one in each of terms 1 to 4. Check the calendar again before booking anything during term time.

Heathfield Community College

Heathfield Community College points parents to the county calendar for its term dates and lists its own staff training days, when the college is closed:

  • Wednesday 2 and Thursday 3 September 2026
  • Friday 27 and Monday 30 November 2026, a four-day weekend
  • Friday 12 February 2027, the day before February half term
  • Friday 30 April 2027
  • Friday 2 July 2027

Primary schools and independents

Primary schools that the county runs follow the county calendar, but INSET days still vary school by school. The quickest route is the school’s own website, or the county’s find local schools search, which links to each one.

Academies and independent schools can set entirely different holidays, and some independents break up a week earlier at Christmas and Easter. Do not assume the county’s dates for them.

Taking a child out in term time

The county warns that parents may get a penalty notice for taking a child out of school during term time without permission. With the Beacon and county calendars running a week apart in July, this is worth checking before you book a summer holiday.

Free holiday clubs

Children who get free school meals can apply for a free place on a holiday club through the county’s Holiday Activities and Food programme, which it links from the term dates page. A small number of places are open to other eligible groups.

What is still to be confirmed

  • Uckfield College’s four remaining INSET days, listed as TBC
  • the 2027/28 dates for individual schools; the county has already published its own, with term 1 starting on Wednesday 1 September 2027

Also on Crowborough Today

Sources