Wirral schools break for half term on 26 to 30 October and for Christmas on 18 December. Birkenhead School takes two weeks in October and ends summer on 2 July.
Wirral Council’s school year for 2026/27 runs from Tuesday 1 September 2026 to Wednesday 21 July 2027. The October half term is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October, and schools break up for Christmas on Friday 18 December. Those are the dates the council sets for the schools it maintains. Academies, grammar schools and independent schools can set their own, and three of the best known on the peninsula differ from the council in ways that matter if you are booking a holiday.
The quick answer
- October half term: Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026. Back on Monday 2 November.
- Christmas holiday: Monday 21 December 2026 to Friday 1 January 2027. Back on Monday 4 January.
- Every school also takes five INSET days that are not on the council’s list. Ask your school for them, or check the school-by-school table below.
All of the council’s dates are from its school holidays and term dates page, checked on 25 September 2026.
Wirral Council term dates 2026/27
| Period | Dates |
|---|---|
| Autumn term, first half | Tuesday 1 September to Friday 23 October 2026 |
| October half term | Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026 |
| Autumn term, second half | Monday 2 November to Friday 18 December 2026 |
| Christmas holiday | Monday 21 December 2026 to Friday 1 January 2027 |
| Spring term, first half | Monday 4 January to Friday 12 February 2027 |
| February half term | Monday 15 to Friday 19 February 2027 |
| Spring term, second half | Monday 22 February to Thursday 25 March 2027 |
| Easter and spring break | Friday 26 March to Friday 9 April 2027 |
| Summer term, first half | Monday 12 April to Friday 28 May 2027 (closed Monday 3 May, bank holiday) |
| May half term | Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027 |
| Summer term, second half | Monday 7 June to Wednesday 21 July 2027 |
The Easter break includes both Easter bank holidays, Good Friday on 26 March and Easter Monday on 29 March. The spring term therefore ends on a Thursday, 25 March.
The council’s page says each governing body sets five INSET days on top of these dates, and tells parents to contact the school directly to find out when they fall.
Three Wirral schools that differ
These are the schools’ own published calendars. Where a school shows the same date as the council, the table says so.
| School | October half term | Christmas break-up | Summer term ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wirral Council maintained schools | 26 to 30 October | Friday 18 December | Wednesday 21 July 2027 |
| Birkenhead School, Oxton (independent) | 19 to 30 October (two weeks) | Wednesday 16 December, midday | Friday 2 July 2027 |
| Calday Grange Grammar School, West Kirby | 26 to 30 October; last day for students Thursday 22 October | Friday 18 December | Wednesday 21 July 2027 |
| Wirral Grammar School for Girls, Bebington | Closes Friday 23 October, back Monday 2 November | Friday 18 December | Friday 16 July 2027 |
Birkenhead School has the calendar most out of line with the council’s. Its Michaelmas half term runs from Monday 19 to Friday 30 October, so pupils are off a week before most of the peninsula. It finishes for Christmas at midday on Wednesday 16 December, returns on Tuesday 5 January, and ends the school year on Friday 2 July 2027, nearly three weeks before the council’s last day (Birkenhead School term dates).
Calday Grange Grammar School follows the council’s holidays but adds staff development days around them. Students finish on Thursday 22 October because Friday 23 October is a staff day. The school is also closed to students on Monday 4 January, Monday 12 April and Wednesday 30 June 2027, so students return after Christmas on Tuesday 5 January and after Easter on Tuesday 13 April (Calday Grange term dates PDF).
Wirral Grammar School for Girls also returns after Christmas a day late: Monday 4 January 2027 is an INSET day and school opens on Tuesday 5 January. Its summer term ends on Friday 16 July 2027, three school days before the council’s, with a staff INSET day on Monday 19 July (Wirral Grammar School for Girls term dates).
The pattern across all three is the same one to watch: the Monday after Christmas and the Monday after Easter are common INSET days, so check before you assume your child is back on 4 January or 12 April.
Looking ahead: 2027/28
The council has already published the following year. The autumn term 2027 runs from 1 September to 17 December, with the October half term on Monday 25 to Friday 29 October 2027, and the Christmas holiday from 20 December 2027 to 3 January 2028. The summer term 2028 ends on 21 July.
Still to confirm
- Each school’s five INSET days. Most schools publish them on their own site; the council does not collect them.
- The exact 2028 summer holiday, which the council lists as “to be confirmed”.
We will check the council page again in January, when schools usually confirm the next year.
Also on Wirral Online
- October half term in Wirral: what is on across the peninsula from 26 to 30 October.
- Wirral Christmas trains and travel: Merseyrail and bus services over the Christmas holiday.
- Wirral roadworks and travel and parking in Wirral.
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