Hampshire's October half term is 26 to 30 October 2026, but Priestlands takes two weeks to 6 November, Arnewood 19 to 30 October, Ballard breaks up 16 October.
Hampshire County Council publishes one set of term dates, and the New Forest’s big secondary schools follow it only loosely. The county’s October half term is the week of 26 October 2026. Priestlands in Lymington takes that week and the one after it. The Arnewood School in New Milton takes that week and the one before it. Ballard, the independent school outside New Milton, sends pupils home on 16 October and does not want them back until 2 November. A family with children at two of these schools can have one at home for a fortnight and the other for a week, and the fortnight falls in different weeks depending on the school.
The quick answer
Hampshire’s 2026/27 year for the schools it maintains runs from Tuesday 1 September 2026 to Wednesday 21 July 2027, with October half term Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026 and the Christmas holiday Monday 21 December to Friday 1 January (Hampshire County Council). Three local secondaries differ: Priestlands’ half term is two weeks, 26 October to 6 November; Arnewood’s is two weeks, 19 to 30 October; Ballard breaks up on Friday 16 October and returns Monday 2 November. Brockenhurst College keeps the county week and finishes for Christmas a day early, on Thursday 17 December.
Hampshire’s dates for 2026/27
These apply to community and controlled schools. The county says voluntary aided, foundation and “some” academies may also use them, and each school adds up to five closure days for staff training (Hampshire County Council).
| Term or holiday | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn term | Tuesday 1 September 2026 | Friday 18 December 2026 |
| Autumn half term | Monday 26 October 2026 | Friday 30 October 2026 |
| Christmas holiday | Monday 21 December 2026 | Friday 1 January 2027 |
| Spring term | Monday 4 January 2027 | Thursday 25 March 2027 |
| Spring half term | Monday 15 February 2027 | Friday 19 February 2027 |
| Easter holiday | Friday 26 March 2027 | Friday 9 April 2027 |
| Summer term | Monday 12 April 2027 | Wednesday 21 July 2027 |
| Summer half term | Monday 31 May 2027 | Friday 4 June 2027 |
| Summer holiday | Thursday 22 July 2027 | Tuesday 31 August 2027 |
The county has already set 2027/28 as well: autumn term Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027, half term 25 to 29 October 2027, Christmas holiday Monday 20 December 2027 to Monday 3 January 2028, and the year ending Friday 21 July 2028.
School by school
We read each school’s own published calendar on 24 September 2026. Where a school publishes nothing usable yet, it says so below rather than guessing.
| School | Pupils start | October break | Last day before Christmas | Training days still to come |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hampshire (county dates) | Tue 1 Sep | 26 to 30 Oct | Fri 18 Dec | Set by each school |
| Priestlands, Lymington | Thu 3 Sep (Year 7), Fri 4 Sep (Years 8 to 11) | 26 Oct to 6 Nov, two weeks | Fri 18 Dec | Fri 9 Oct, Mon 4 Jan, Fri 30 Apr |
| The Arnewood School, New Milton | Mon 7 Sep | 19 to 30 Oct, two weeks | Fri 18 Dec | Mon 4 Jan |
| Brockenhurst College | Mon 7 Sep | 26 to 30 Oct | Thu 17 Dec | None listed |
| Ballard School, New Milton | Thu 3 Sep | 16 Oct 5pm to 2 Nov 8.30am | Fri 11 Dec | Mon 4 Jan, Wed 14 Apr, Fri 9 Jul |
| Lymington Junior School | County dates | 26 to 30 Oct | Thu 17 Dec (Fri 18 Dec is a training day) | Fri 18 Dec, Mon 22 Feb, Mon 7 Jun, Fri 9 Jul |
| The Burgate School, Fordingbridge | Wed 2 Sep (Years 7 and 12 only), Thu 3 Sep all years | Grid shows the county week | Grid shows Fri 18 Dec | Fri 25 Sep |
Priestlands School, Lymington
Priestlands publishes its 2026/27 calendar under the heading “Priestlands Term Dates with 2 week half term”. Its five training days are Tuesday 1 and Wednesday 2 September 2026, Friday 9 October 2026, Monday 4 January 2027 and Friday 30 April 2027. Year 7 started on Thursday 3 September and the rest of the school on Friday 4 September. The autumn term ends on Friday 18 December, but the half term runs Monday 26 October to Friday 6 November 2026, a full fortnight, the second week of it being a week the county counts as school. Spring term starts for pupils on Tuesday 5 January, after the training day, and ends Thursday 25 March. Summer term starts Monday 12 April, and the last day is Wednesday 21 July with pupils finishing at 12.45pm (Priestlands School).
The Arnewood School, New Milton
Arnewood’s two-week October break is the week before the county’s, not the week after. Its autumn term started on Monday 7 September 2026, after training days on Thursday 3 and Friday 4 September. Half term is Monday 19 October to Friday 30 October. The term ends Friday 18 December and the Christmas holiday is 21 December to 1 January. Spring term starts Tuesday 5 January 2027, after a training day on Monday 4 January, with half term 15 to 19 February and the term ending Thursday 25 March. Summer term starts Monday 12 April and ends Tuesday 20 July (The Arnewood School).
Brockenhurst College
The college’s calendar is the closest to the county’s. Students started on Monday 7 September after welcome days on 3 and 4 September. Half term is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October, and the autumn term ends on Thursday 17 December, a day before the county. Spring term runs Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 at 4.20pm, with half term 15 to 19 February. Summer term starts Monday 12 April, half term is 31 May to 4 June, and the year ends for students on Wednesday 7 July (Brockenhurst College).
Ballard School, New Milton
Ballard is independent and its calendar is the shortest. Term started Thursday 3 September after training days on 1 and 2 September. Half term is Friday 16 October at 5pm to Monday 2 November at 8.30am. The autumn term ends Friday 11 December with the Priory carol service, a week before the state schools. Spring term starts Tuesday 5 January 2027 after a training day, with half term Friday 12 to Monday 22 February, ending Thursday 25 March. Summer term starts Thursday 15 April after a training day on Wednesday 14 April, half term is Friday 28 May to Monday 7 June, and the year ends on Thursday 8 July with Speech Day, followed by a training day on Friday 9 July (Ballard School).
Lymington Junior School
The junior school follows Hampshire’s dates and lists its five training days for 2026/27 as Tuesday 1 September 2026, Friday 18 December 2026, Monday 22 February 2027, Monday 7 June 2027 and Friday 9 July 2027 (Lymington Junior School). Two of those sit on the first day back after a holiday, and one turns the last day of the autumn term into a day off, so Lymington juniors finish for Christmas on Thursday 17 December.
The Burgate School, Fordingbridge
Burgate publishes its 2026/27 year as a colour-coded grid PDF dated 13 July 2026 rather than a list. The notes on it are explicit about a few things: Wednesday 2 September was for Years 7 and 12 only, with all year groups in from Thursday 3 September; a training day follows the open evening on 24 September, so the school is closed to pupils on Friday 25 September; the sixth form open evening is 14 October; and the Year 6 induction day is 30 June 2027. The grid counts 17 school days in October, which is a full month less the county’s half term week, and 14 in December, which is a term ending on Friday 18 December. Treat those two as our reading of the grid, not the school’s words, and check the PDF yourself before booking anything (The Burgate School).
Not yet readable: Hounsdown, Ringwood, Totton College
Three schools are missing from the table because their websites do not publish the dates in a form that can be checked. Hounsdown School in Totton keeps its term dates inside an interactive calendar that does not list them as text (Hounsdown School). Ringwood School publishes its term dates as two images with no text version (Ringwood School). Totton College’s term dates page still shows 2025/26 only (Totton College). All three will be added when they publish something readable.
Why the dates differ
Hampshire’s dates bind only the schools it maintains. Academies and independent schools set their own, and most New Forest secondaries are academies. The county also leaves five closure days to each school’s head and governors, which is why Lymington Junior can turn the last Friday of term into a training day while Priestlands uses one of its five to make October a fortnight.
For what is actually on in the district during the break, see October half term in the New Forest.
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