Westmorland and Furness half term is 26 to 30 October and schools break up on 18 December. KKS and QKS go back on 4 January, a day before the council's date.
Westmorland and Furness Council’s October half term runs from Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026, and its schools break up for Christmas on Friday 18 December. Those are the dates for the schools the council maintains. Most secondary schools around Kendal are academies and set their own calendars, and checking five of them against the council’s list turns up differences that matter for a family booking a holiday: both Kendal secondaries start the spring term a day early, Kirkbie Kendal School finishes the summer four days late, and Sedbergh School takes a two-week October break and breaks up for Christmas a week before everyone else.
The quick answer
- October half term: Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026, at the council’s schools and at Kirkbie Kendal, Queen Katherine, Dallam and The Lakes School.
- Christmas holidays: schools break up Friday 18 December 2026. The council date for going back is Tuesday 5 January 2027, but Kirkbie Kendal and The Queen Katherine School go back on Monday 4 January.
- Kirkbie Kendal School is shut on Friday 16 October for a training day, the week before half term.
Westmorland and Furness term dates 2026/27
These are the council’s dates, from its school term and holiday dates page, checked on 25 September 2026. The council’s own note is short: “Holiday dates can vary slightly. Please check with your school.”
| Term | Starts | Half term | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn | Wednesday 2 September 2026 | Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026 | Friday 18 December 2026 |
| Spring | Tuesday 5 January 2027 | Monday 15 to Friday 19 February 2027 | Thursday 25 March 2027 |
| Summer | Monday 12 April 2027 | Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027 | Friday 16 July 2027 |
The spring term ends on a Thursday because Good Friday falls on 26 March 2027. The summer half term starts on the spring bank holiday, Monday 31 May.
The council has already published the next two years as well. In 2027/28 the autumn term starts on Monday 6 September 2027, the October half term is Monday 25 to Friday 29 October 2027, and the Christmas break starts after Friday 17 December 2027.
Where Kendal’s schools differ
Every school below published its own 2026/27 calendar. Each is linked, and all were read on 25 September 2026.
| School | October half term | Breaks up for Christmas | Back in January | Summer term ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Council dates | 26 to 30 Oct | Fri 18 Dec | Tue 5 Jan | Fri 16 Jul |
| Kirkbie Kendal School | 26 to 30 Oct | Fri 18 Dec | Mon 4 Jan | Tue 20 Jul |
| The Queen Katherine School, Kendal | 26 to 30 Oct | Fri 18 Dec | Mon 4 Jan | Fri 16 Jul |
| Dallam School, Milnthorpe | 26 to 30 Oct | Fri 18 Dec | Mon 4 Jan | Fri 16 Jul |
| The Lakes School, Troutbeck Bridge | 26 to 30 Oct | Fri 18 Dec, 12.30pm | Tue 5 Jan | Fri 16 Jul, 12.30pm |
| Sedbergh School (independent, senior) | Fri 16 Oct, 2pm, to Sun 1 Nov | Fri 11 Dec, 2pm | Mon 4 Jan, 6pm | Sat 3 Jul (Speech Day) |
Kirkbie Kendal School (2026/27 term dates, PDF) has training days on 1 and 2 September 2026, Friday 16 October 2026 and Friday 16 April 2027, “plus one day disaggregated across the year”. It is also closed on Monday 3 May for the May Day bank holiday. Its summer term runs to Tuesday 20 July 2027, four days after the council’s date.
The Queen Katherine School (2026/27 term dates, PDF) follows the council’s dates except that its spring term begins on Monday 4 January 2027. Its INSET days were 1 and 2 September 2026.
Dallam School in Milnthorpe (2026/27 term dates, PDF) also starts the spring term on Monday 4 January. Its two published INSET days were 1 and 9 September; 9 September was Westmorland County Show day.
The Lakes School at Troutbeck Bridge, near Windermere (school calendar) uses Monday 4 January 2027 as a training day, so pupils go back on Tuesday 5 January. It finishes at 12.30pm on the last day of the autumn and summer terms.
Sedbergh School, the independent boarding school (senior school term dates), runs on a different pattern entirely. Its Michaelmas half term starts at 2pm on Friday 16 October and ends at 6pm on Sunday 1 November, a two-week break. Term ends at 2pm on Friday 11 December, and there are long exeat weekends from 20 to 22 November and 22 to 24 January. The school notes that its prep school’s dates are not necessarily the same.
Primary schools and everyone else
Most primary schools in and around Kendal follow the council’s dates, but academy primaries and church schools can move a training day or two. The council’s table does not show INSET days at all, because each school chooses its own. Check your own school’s website or newsletter before booking anything around the start or end of a term.
Kendal College sets its own dates for 16 to 18 students and adult learners and is not covered here.
Still to be confirmed
Nothing on this page is provisional. Sedbergh School’s 2027/28 dates are marked provisional on its site, and Dallam’s 2027/28 list is labelled draft. We will check both again in early 2027.
For what is actually on during the October break, see October half term in Kendal. For the bins over Christmas, see Kendal bin collection days.
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