Suffolk schools break for half term on 26 October and for Christmas on 18 December 2026. Every holiday and PD day, and the coast schools that break earlier.
October half term in Suffolk is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026, and the Christmas holiday runs from Saturday 19 December to Sunday 3 January 2027. Those are Suffolk County Council’s dates for the schools it maintains, and most academies on the coast follow them. The two big independent schools, and one academy, do not.
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, which is a PD day at most schools, so pupils usually return Tuesday 5 January.
- Woodbridge School and Framlingham College break on Friday 16 October for a two-week half term, and finish for Christmas earlier.
Suffolk County Council’s dates for 2026/27
These are the dates on the county’s school term and holiday dates page, checked on 25 September 2026. They apply to local authority maintained schools. Academies, free schools and voluntary aided schools set their own, and the county says to check with your child’s school.
| Term | Starts | Half term | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn 2026 | Tuesday 1 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 |
Holidays in full:
- Christmas: Saturday 19 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027
- Easter: Friday 26 March to Sunday 11 April 2027
PD days (INSET days)
Every maintained school sets five teacher training days, which Suffolk calls Professional Development or PD days. The county recommends:
- Tuesday 1 and Wednesday 2 September 2026
- Friday 23 October 2026, the day before half term, which makes it a nine-day break for many families
- Monday 4 January 2027, the first day of spring term
- Monday 12 April 2027, the first day of summer term
Schools can move these, so check your school’s letters.
School by school on the coast
This is where the dates part company. Each row is from the school’s own published calendar.
| School | October half term | Christmas: last day | Back in January (pupils) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suffolk maintained schools | 26 to 30 Oct | Fri 18 Dec | Tue 5 Jan (Mon 4 is a PD day) |
| Farlingaye High, Woodbridge | 26 to 30 Oct | Fri 18 Dec | Tue 5 Jan |
| Thomas Mills High, Framlingham | 26 to 30 Oct | Fri 18 Dec | Tue 5 Jan |
| Felixstowe School | 26 Oct to 6 Nov (as printed) | Fri 18 Dec | Tue 5 Jan |
| Woodbridge School (independent) | 4pm Fri 16 Oct to Mon 2 Nov | 1pm Wed 16 Dec | Wed 6 Jan |
| Framlingham College (independent) | 4pm Fri 16 Oct to Sun 1 Nov | 4pm Thu 10 Dec (senior) | Tue 5 Jan |
Farlingaye High School matches the county for holidays. Its PD days are 1 and 2 September, Friday 23 October (which it marks “disaggregated”, meaning staff training done at other times, so check whether pupils are in), 4 January and 12 April. Summer term for pupils starts Tuesday 13 April and ends Wednesday 21 July 2027.
Thomas Mills High School in Framlingham also matches the county, with one difference: it adds a PD day on Friday 12 February 2027, so its February break starts a day early.
Felixstowe School prints its autumn half term as running from Monday 26 October to Friday 6 November 2026, two weeks rather than one. We have reported it as published; if your child is at the school, confirm with the school before booking anything for the second week. Its Easter holiday is printed as Friday 26 March to Friday 9 April 2027, it lists PD days on Friday 2 July and Wednesday 21 July, and the summer term ends Tuesday 20 July 2027.
Woodbridge School breaks for half term at 4pm on Friday 16 October and restarts at 8.40am on Monday 2 November. Michaelmas term ends at 1pm on Wednesday 16 December, two days before the state schools. Lent term starts Wednesday 6 January, half term runs from 4pm Friday 12 February to Monday 22 February, and the summer (Trinity) term ends Thursday 8 July 2027, nearly two weeks before the state schools.
Framlingham College has the same October half term as Woodbridge School, 4pm Friday 16 October to Sunday 1 November, plus whole-school exeat weekends on 25 to 27 September and 20 to 22 November. The senior school finishes at 4pm on Thursday 10 December, the prep school at noon on Friday 11 December. Summer term ends Friday 2 July 2027.
What this means for October
Families with children at both an independent and a state school get three different weeks off between 16 October and 1 November. The state half term week, 26 to 30 October, is also the week the East Suffolk line has no trains south of Halesworth, with rail replacement buses between Halesworth and Ipswich from 24 October to 1 November, as we reported in the East Suffolk line closure. If you are planning days out, see our October half term in Woodbridge and the Suffolk coast page, and check roadworks and travel before you go.
Still to be confirmed
- Felixstowe School’s half term. Its site prints two weeks where every other state school nearby takes one; we report it as published. We will re-check in mid October.
- Primary schools set their own PD days. The county dates above are the default for maintained primaries; academy primaries publish their own.
Checked against Suffolk County Council and each school’s own website on 25 September 2026.
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