Council half term is 26 to 30 October and Christmas starts after Friday 18 December. Three big schools take two weeks in October. Every date, school by school.

Wandsworth’s council term dates for 2026/27 put October half term on Monday 26 to Friday 30 October, Christmas after Friday 18 December, and the last day of the year on Thursday 22 July 2027. Those dates bind only the schools the council maintains. Most Wandsworth secondaries are academies or independent schools that set their own, and some of them are off for a fortnight in October.

The quick answer

October half term: Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026 for council schools, Graveney, Burntwood, Ark Putney and Ernest Bevin. Chestnut Grove, Putney High and Emanuel take two weeks, from 19 October. Christmas holidays start after Friday 18 December, and council schools go back on Monday 4 January 2027.

Wandsworth Council term dates 2026/27

These are from the council’s school term dates page, which says the dates follow the London Inter Authority Admissions Group calendar. Every school takes five staff training (INSET) days out of the 195, and chooses them itself, so the first day back after any break can differ from school to school.

Term First day Half term Last day
Autumn 2026 Wednesday 2 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 Thursday 22 July

One error to ignore: the council page lists the summer term bank holiday as “Monday 4 May 2027”. The early May bank holiday in 2027 is Monday 3 May, according to GOV.UK’s bank holidays list, and that is the date Graveney, Burntwood and Ark Putney print. It is the only bank holiday that closes schools in term time this year. The spring bank holiday, Monday 31 May, is the first day of the summer half term.

School by school

Each row comes from the school’s own term dates page, read on 25 September 2026. “Back” is the first day pupils return after the break, after any INSET day.

School October half term (pupils off) Back Christmas: last day Summer: last day
Council calendar 26 to 30 Oct Mon 2 Nov Fri 18 Dec Thu 22 Jul
Graveney, Tooting 26 to 30 Oct Mon 2 Nov Fri 18 Dec Wed 21 Jul
Burntwood, Earlsfield 26 to 30 Oct Mon 2 Nov Fri 18 Dec Wed 21 Jul
Ark Putney 26 to 30 Oct Mon 2 Nov Fri 18 Dec Wed 21 Jul
Ernest Bevin, Tooting 26 to 30 Oct, plus INSET Mon 2 Nov Tue 3 Nov Fri 18 Dec Fri 16 Jul
Chestnut Grove, Balham 19 to 30 Oct, plus INSET Mon 2 Nov Tue 3 Nov Thu 17 Dec, 12.20pm Tue 20 Jul
Putney High School (independent) 19 to 30 Oct Mon 2 Nov Fri 11 Dec, morning Wed 7 Jul
Emanuel School, Battersea (independent) Sat 17 Oct to Sun 1 Nov Mon 2 Nov Fri 11 Dec, 12pm Fri 9 Jul

Burntwood lists Thursday 25 March and Thursday 22 July as both the last day of term and a staff training day, so its pupils finish on the Wednesday. Ark Putney does the same in July.

Counting weekends, a council-calendar pupil is off for nine days in a row at October half term, Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November. Ernest Bevin’s extra INSET day makes it ten. Putney High and Emanuel pupils get 16 days, and Chestnut Grove’s INSET day on Monday 2 November makes its break 17 days, the longest on this table.

INSET days, sorted by date

These are the days a school is shut to pupils while the council’s calendar says school is open. They are the dates parents most often miss.

Date Schools closed to pupils
Friday 25 September 2026 Graveney, Chestnut Grove
Friday 16 October Ark Putney
Monday 2 November Ernest Bevin, Chestnut Grove
Friday 20 November Burntwood; Putney High (11+ entrance exam)
Monday 23 November Ark Putney
Thursday 26 November Graveney
Friday 27 November Ernest Bevin; Emanuel (independent learning day)
Monday 4 January 2027 Ark Putney, Ernest Bevin, Putney High
Wednesday 6 January Emanuel (term starts Thursday 7 January)
Monday 18 January Chestnut Grove
Friday 22 January Burntwood, Ernest Bevin
Wednesday 10 February Graveney
Friday 12 February Ark Putney, Putney High
Monday 12 April Ark Putney, Ernest Bevin, Putney High
Tuesday 20 April Graveney
Friday 28 May Chestnut Grove, Emanuel
Monday 7 June Putney High (pupils back Tuesday 8 June)
Friday 25 June Chestnut Grove
Monday 28 June Graveney
Friday 2 July Burntwood, Ark Putney, Ernest Bevin

Graveney’s web page lists its final training day as “28 June 2020”; its July 2026 letter to parents gives Monday 28 June 2027, and that is the date used here.

The September start was staggered too

Most schools did not bring every year group in on the council’s first day, Wednesday 2 September. Graveney had Years 7 and 12 in on the 2nd and everyone on the 3rd. Chestnut Grove started Year 7 and Year 12 on Thursday 3 September and Years 8 to 11 on the 4th. Ark Putney and Putney High started Year 7 and the sixth form on Friday 4 September and everyone else on Monday 7 September. It is worth checking your own school’s letter for the same pattern after Easter.

Primary schools that are academies or church schools set their own dates as well. If your school is not listed here, its own website or the letter home is the only reliable source.