Warwickshire half term is 26 to 30 October and Christmas runs 21 December to 1 January. Lawrence Sheriff, Rugby High, Ashlawn and Harris dates compared.
Checked 25 September 2026. Most Rugby schools follow Warwickshire County Council’s calendar, and the big local secondaries we checked have kept its holidays. Where they differ is the training days, which is where the surprise days off come from.
The quick answer
- October half term: Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026.
- Christmas holiday: Monday 21 December 2026 to Friday 1 January 2027. Autumn term ends on Friday 18 December.
- Spring term starts Monday 4 January 2027. That is a county training day, and Ashlawn and Harris pupils go back on Tuesday 5 January. Lawrence Sheriff and Rugby High list 4 January as a school day.
Warwickshire’s 2026/27 calendar
These are the county’s dates from its term dates page and its 2026/27 calendar PDF. They apply to community and voluntary controlled schools. Academies and free schools can set their own.
| Term | Starts | Half term | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn 2026 | Tuesday 1 September (training day) | 26 to 30 October | Friday 18 December |
| Spring 2027 | Monday 4 January (training day) | 15 to 19 February | Thursday 25 March |
| Summer 2027 | Monday 12 April | 31 May to 4 June | Wednesday 21 July |
- Christmas holiday: 21 December 2026 to 1 January 2027
- Easter holiday: 29 March to 9 April 2027
- Training days: the county sets two, 1 September 2026 and 4 January 2027. Schools set three more of their own, so most have five in total
- Secondary induction day: Wednesday 7 July 2027
- The county’s PDF counts 195 days in the year: 74 in autumn, 54 in spring and 67 in summer
Rugby secondary schools compared
Every school below uses the county’s half terms and Christmas holiday. The differences are in the training days and, at Harris, the end of the summer term.
| School | Training days (no pupils) | Differences from the county |
|---|---|---|
| Lawrence Sheriff School | 1 Sep, 1 Oct, 23 Oct, 27 Nov 2026; 3 Mar 2027 | Friday 23 October off, so half term starts a day early |
| Rugby High School | 1 Sep, 8 Oct 2026 (the only two on its page) | Years 7 and 12 start 2 September, everyone else 3 September |
| Ashlawn School | 1 Sep, 27 Nov 2026; 4 Jan, 25 Mar, 25 Jun 2027 | Spring term ends Wednesday 24 March, a day early |
| Harris CofE Academy | 1 Sep 2026; 4 Jan, 22 Feb, 19 to 21 Jul 2027 | Monday 22 February off after half term. Summer term ends Friday 16 July |
Sources: Lawrence Sheriff School term dates 2026-2027 (the school notes the dates “may be subject to change”), Rugby High School, Ashlawn School and Harris Church of England Academy.
Two dates are worth putting in the diary now:
- Friday 23 October is a training day at Lawrence Sheriff, so its boys get a nine-day break around half term
- Friday 27 November is a training day at both Lawrence Sheriff and Ashlawn
Rugby Free Secondary School’s term dates page refused our request, so it is not in the table. Check with the school directly.
The independents break earlier
Rugby School and its prep school, Bilton Grange, run on a boarding-school calendar with longer holidays and weekend exeats.
| School | October half term | Advent term ends | Lent term begins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rugby School | Saturday 17 October to Sunday 1 November | Saturday 12 December | Tuesday 5 January (evening return) |
| Bilton Grange | Friday 16 October (4pm) to Sunday 1 November | Friday 11 December | Tuesday 5 January (boarders); day pupils the next morning |
From Rugby School’s term dates and Bilton Grange’s. Rugby School also has exeat weekends from 25 to 28 September and 21 to 23 November.
Taking a holiday in term time
The county’s page says headteachers can only approve leave “in exceptional circumstances” and “are not allowed to approve leave for holidays”. Speak to the school before you book.
When snow or a heating failure closes a school, the county keeps a list of closures on the same term dates page, but it says the list “may take time to update” when many schools close at once. The school’s own website is quicker.
More for families: October half term in Rugby, Christmas bin collections, Christmas trains and travel, parking in Rugby and roadworks and travel.
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