Harrogate half term is 26 to 30 October 2026 and Christmas starts 21 December, but Ashville breaks 11 December. Council dates plus six schools' own dates.

October half term in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon runs from Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026 at council-run schools, and the Christmas holiday from Monday 21 December 2026 to Friday 1 January 2027. Most of the big secondaries follow those weeks, but several add their own training days, and the independent schools break up much earlier.

The quick answer

  • October half term: Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026, with a council training day on Friday 23 October, so most children finish on Thursday 22 October.
  • Christmas: last day Friday 18 December; back Tuesday 5 January 2027 (Monday 4 January is a training day at council schools).
  • Summer 2027: most pupils finish Friday 23 July. The council’s term officially ends on Monday 26 July, but that day is a training day.

North Yorkshire Council dates for 2026/27

These are the dates North Yorkshire Council publishes for community and voluntary controlled schools. Academies, voluntary aided and foundation schools set their own, so check with your child’s school.

Period Dates
Autumn term starts Monday 7 September 2026
Training day Friday 23 October 2026
October half term Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026
Christmas holiday Monday 21 December 2026 to Friday 1 January 2027
Spring term starts Monday 4 January 2027 (training day)
February half term Monday 8 to Friday 12 February 2027
Easter holiday Monday 22 March to Friday 2 April 2027
Summer term starts Monday 5 April 2027
Bank holidays Monday 3 May and Monday 31 May 2027
May half term Tuesday 1 to Friday 4 June 2027
Term ends Monday 26 July 2027 (training day)

The council’s 2026/27 calendar counts 195 term days. Up to five are training days when pupils stay at home: the council sets three (23 October, 4 January and 26 July) and each school picks the other two and tells parents itself. So your child’s school may have two more days off than the table shows.

Six local schools that publish their own dates

We checked each school’s own page on 25 September 2026. The half terms mostly match the council’s weeks. The training days do not.

School October half term Last day before Christmas Back in January Summer term ends
Harrogate Grammar School Sat 24 Oct to Sun 1 Nov Fri 18 Dec, 2.30pm finish Mon 4 Jan Fri 23 Jul, 2.30pm
St Aidan’s CE High School Sat 24 Oct to Sun 1 Nov Fri 18 Dec Tue 5 Jan Fri 23 Jul
Harrogate High School Mon 26 to Fri 30 Oct, plus Mon 2 Nov closed Fri 18 Dec Tue 5 Jan Fri 23 Jul
Ripon Grammar School Sat 24 Oct to Sun 1 Nov Fri 18 Dec Tue 5 Jan Fri 23 Jul
Ashville College (independent) Tue 20 Oct, 4pm, to Mon 2 Nov Fri 11 Dec, 2.45pm Tue 5 Jan Wed 7 Jul
North Yorkshire Council schools Mon 26 to Fri 30 Oct Fri 18 Dec Tue 5 Jan Fri 23 Jul

The differences that catch parents out:

  • Harrogate Grammar School is the one big secondary back on Monday 4 January, a day earlier than the council schools. Its staff development days are 7 and 8 September, Friday 2 October, Friday 27 November, Friday 2 July and Monday 26 July.
  • St Aidan’s has two Friday training days this half term, 9 October and 23 October, as well as 4 January and 26 July.
  • Harrogate High School stays closed to students on Monday 2 November, a trust training day, so its pupils return on Tuesday 3 November. It is also closed on 4 January and 26 July.
  • Ripon Grammar School training days are 7 September, 4 January, Friday 9 April and Friday 16 July 2027. Its 2026/27 dates also list boarding arrivals and departures.
  • Ashville College has a two-week October break starting on Tuesday 20 October, finishes for Christmas a week before everyone else on Friday 11 December, and breaks up for the summer on Wednesday 7 July 2027.

The rest of the year at a glance

February and May half terms line up across almost every school above: 8 to 12 February and 1 to 4 June 2027 (Ashville breaks from Friday 28 May and returns Monday 7 June; Harrogate Grammar and St Aidan’s show the May break as 29 May to 6 June). Easter runs from Monday 22 March to Friday 2 April 2027, with pupils back on Monday 5 April, except at Ashville, which returns on Wednesday 7 April.

The council has also published 2027/28: the autumn term starts on Monday 6 September 2027, October half term is 25 to 29 October 2027, and Christmas runs from 20 December 2027 to 3 January 2028.

Primary schools and academies not listed here

Most primaries in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon that are still council schools follow the council table. Academy primaries usually do too but add their own two training days, which they publish on their websites and in letters home. If your school is not in the table above, the school’s own term dates page is the one to trust.

Still to be confirmed

  • Each council school’s two extra training days, which schools set and announce themselves.
  • King James’s School in Knaresborough and Rossett School in Harrogate publish their 2026/27 dates as colour-coded calendars we could not read reliably, so we have left them out rather than guess. Check with those schools directly.

Planning the break? See what’s on in Harrogate this October half term, Christmas bin collections, Christmas trains from Harrogate, parking in Harrogate and roadworks and travel.