Hexham School Term Dates & Holidays 2026–27

Term dates, half terms and INSET days can catch families out — especially with several Hexham schools setting their own training days on top of the council calendar. Here's a clear breakdown of the dates for the current 2026–2027 academic year.

Who Sets Hexham's Term Dates

Hexham's schools follow Northumberland County Council's published term dates (not Newcastle's or any neighbouring authority's). However, Foundation, Academy and Voluntary Aided (church) schools aren't obliged to follow these dates exactly and can set their own calendar. So it's always worth checking your individual school's website too, particularly for INSET (staff training) days, which can vary from school to school even within Hexham.

2026–2027 Term Dates

Holiday Schools Close Schools Reopen
Autumn half term Friday 23 October 2026 Monday 2 November 2026
Christmas Friday 18 December 2026 Monday 4 January 2027
Spring half term Friday 12 February 2027 Monday 22 February 2027
Easter Thursday 25 March 2027 Monday 12 April 2027
Summer half term Friday 28 May 2027 Monday 7 June 2027
Summer holidays Friday 16 July 2027 Monday 6 September 2027

INSET (Staff Training) Days

Every school in Northumberland has five INSET days per year, in addition to the term dates above, when pupils don't attend, but staff are in for training. The county council publishes recommended dates, but individual schools can — and often do — move them, so two schools in Hexham can end up with different closure days in the same term. Always check your own school's calendar rather than assuming term dates apply universally.

Hexham Schools to Check Directly

Here's how each Hexham school's own published dates compare to the council calendar above:

School Authority How How Dates Compare
Hexham First School Northumberland County Council Follows council dates directly.
Sele First School Northumberland County Council Follows council dates directly.
Hexham Middle School Hadrian Learning Trust Closely follows council dates, with its own INSET days (includes Tuesday 1 September 2026 and Friday 23 October 2026).
Queen Elizabeth High School Hadrian Learning Trust Closely follows council dates but breaks up a day earlier for October half term (Thursday 22, not Friday 23 October 2026) due to an INSET day, and has a staggered September return by year group.
St Mary's First School Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust Sets its own calendar, published separately — check the school's own PDF.
St Joseph's Catholic Middle School Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust States its dates "differ from those set and published by Northumberland County Council," though in practice most term end and start dates line up closely, aside from its own INSET days.
Hexham Priory School Eden Academy Trust (special school) Publishes its own separate term dates PDF — always check directly.

Taking Time Off During Term Time

Headteachers cannot normally grant leave of absence during term time except in exceptional circumstances. Parents and carers can be fined for taking children out of school during term time without permission, so always check with your school directly before booking anything around the published dates.

Official Source

These dates are drawn from Northumberland County Council's published term and holiday calendar. If your school's dates differ from those shown here, follow your school's published calendar — academies and church schools can set their own.

Spotted a date that's changed or a school missing from this list? Let us know,, and we'll update it.