Lambeth's October half term is 26 to 30 October, but Harris Academy Clapham and Streatham & Clapham High take two weeks, from 19 October. All the dates.
Lambeth Council sets one calendar for 2026/27, and the October half term it sets is one week, Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026. Two of the biggest secondary schools in Clapham do not follow it. Harris Academy Clapham and Streatham & Clapham High School both close for two weeks, 19 to 30 October, so a family with one child at a Lambeth primary and another at either of those schools has two different half terms to plan around. Christmas is simpler: the council’s holiday runs from Monday 21 December to Friday 1 January, and most schools break up on Friday 18 December.
The quick answer
- October half term (Lambeth): Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026. Harris Academy Clapham and Streatham & Clapham High are off 19 to 30 October.
- Christmas: schools close on Friday 18 December 2026 and reopen on Monday 4 January 2027. Streatham & Clapham High breaks up a week earlier, on Friday 11 December.
- Summer 2027: Lambeth’s last day is Thursday 22 July. Every school below finishes between 6 and 22 July.
Lambeth Council’s dates for 2026/27
These are the dates Lambeth Council publishes for 2026/27. They add up to 195 days, and each school then takes five of those as staff training (INSET) days, so pupils attend 190. The council’s own page does not list INSET days; the school sets them.
| Term | Starts | Ends | School days | Holiday that follows |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | Wednesday 2 September 2026 | Friday 23 October 2026 | 38 | Mon 26 to Fri 30 October |
| Term 2 | Monday 2 November 2026 | Friday 18 December 2026 | 35 | Mon 21 December to Fri 1 January |
| Term 3 | Monday 4 January 2027 | Friday 12 February 2027 | 30 | Mon 15 to Fri 19 February |
| Term 4 | Monday 22 February 2027 | Thursday 25 March 2027 | 24 | Fri 26 March to Fri 9 April |
| Term 5 | Monday 12 April 2027 | Friday 28 May 2027 | 34 | Mon 31 May to Fri 4 June |
| Term 6 | Monday 7 June 2027 | Thursday 22 July 2027 | 34 | Summer holiday |
Lambeth’s calendar was corrected after it was first issued. The Lambeth Schools Partnership noted in November 2024 that “there were some minor errors in the published dates for 2026/27, which have now been corrected”, so an old printout or a third-party listing may not match. The dates above are the council’s current page.
Wandsworth, which bills the western side of Clapham and runs the schools there, has the same holidays this year: half term 26 to 30 October, Christmas break from 18 December, back on 4 January, and summer term ending on Thursday 22 July 2027.
Six Clapham schools, six calendars
Academies, church schools and independent schools set their own dates. We checked six that Clapham children attend against each school’s own published calendar. The differences are mostly in October and in where the training days fall.
| School | October break (no pupils) | Last day before Christmas | Back in January | Last day summer 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lambeth Council dates | 26 to 30 Oct | Fri 18 Dec | Mon 4 Jan | Thu 22 Jul |
| Harris Academy Clapham | 19 to 30 Oct | Fri 18 Dec | Mon 4 Jan | Wed 21 Jul |
| Streatham & Clapham High School (GDST) | 19 to 30 Oct | Fri 11 Dec (12.30pm) | Wed 6 Jan | Tue 6 Jul |
| Clapham Manor Primary | 26 to 30 Oct | Fri 18 Dec (1.30pm) | Mon 4 Jan | Thu 22 Jul |
| Henry Cavendish Primary | 23 to 30 Oct | Fri 18 Dec (1.30pm) | Tue 5 Jan | Thu 22 Jul |
| Macaulay Primary Academy | 22 to 30 Oct | Fri 18 Dec | Mon 4 Jan | Wed 21 Jul |
| Ark Bolingbroke Academy | 26 to 30 Oct (INSET Fri 16 Oct) | Fri 18 Dec (12.35pm) | Mon 4 Jan | Tue 20 Jul |
Harris Academy Clapham
Harris Academy Clapham publishes its October half term as 19 to 30 October 2026, a full week before Lambeth’s break begins. It also has INSET days on Thursday 3 September, Friday 9 October and Friday 12 February 2027, when there are no students in. Christmas is the council’s pattern: last day Friday 18 December, back on Monday 4 January. The summer term ends on Wednesday 21 July 2027.
Streatham & Clapham High School
The GDST school on Abbotswood Road runs an independent-school year. Its calendar has pupils starting on Monday 7 September, half term from 19 to 30 October, and the autumn term ending at 12.30pm on Friday 11 December, a week before the state schools. Pupils go back on Wednesday 6 January, have February half term from 15 to 19 February, and the year ends at 12.30pm on Tuesday 6 July 2027.
Clapham Manor Primary School
Clapham Manor follows Lambeth’s holidays exactly. Its five INSET days are Wednesday 2 and Thursday 3 September (pupils returned on Friday 4 September), Friday 4 December, Friday 30 April 2027 and Monday 28 June 2027. Christmas term ends at 1.30pm on Friday 18 December.
Henry Cavendish Primary School
Henry Cavendish ends term 1 for pupils on Thursday 22 October, with a staff day on Friday 23 October, so its pupils are off from Friday 23 October. There is another staff day on Friday 27 November, and the spring term starts with one on Monday 4 January, so pupils return on Tuesday 5 January.
Macaulay Primary Academy
Macaulay ends autumn term 1 on Wednesday 21 October and uses Thursday 22 and Friday 23 October as training days, which gives its pupils a break from 22 to 30 October. There is a further training day on Friday 8 January 2027. The summer term ends on Wednesday 21 July.
Ark Bolingbroke Academy
Bolingbroke, on Wakehurst Road on the Wandsworth side of the Common, keeps the council’s one-week half term but has several single-day closures around it. Its calendar lists INSET days on Friday 18 September, Friday 16 October and Monday 16 November, an “occasional day” when the school is closed on Monday 7 December, and a closure on Friday 12 February. The autumn and spring terms both end at 12.35pm.
What to check
The council notes that academies and church schools set their own dates, and that parents should check with the school. If your child’s school is not above, its term dates page is the only reliable source. Staff training days are the ones that catch people out: they are almost never on the council’s page.
Lambeth has also published its dates for 2027/28 for anyone booking holidays further ahead.
More for the half term and Christmas
- Clapham October half term: what is on locally that week
- Clapham bin collection days, including the Christmas changes
- Clapham Christmas and New Year travel
- Clapham roadworks and travel
- Parking in Clapham
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