Hampshire schools break for Christmas on 18 December 2026 and half term is 26 to 30 October. Rookwood and Mountbatten take longer October breaks.

Most schools in Andover and the rest of Test Valley follow Hampshire County Council’s calendar: October half term is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026, and the autumn term ends on Friday 18 December, with pupils back on Monday 4 January 2027. A handful of local schools set their own dates, and two of them give a longer October break, so check the table below before booking anything.

The quick answer

  • October half term: Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026 for Hampshire community schools.
  • Christmas holiday: Monday 21 December 2026 to Friday 1 January 2027. The last day of term is Friday 18 December.
  • Rookwood School breaks for two weeks in October (from 19 October) and finishes for Christmas on 11 December. Mountbatten in Romsey closes from 22 October.

Hampshire term dates 2026/27

These are the dates published on Hampshire County Council’s school holiday dates page, checked on 25 September 2026. The council says they apply to its community and controlled schools, and that voluntary aided schools, foundation schools and some academies may use them too.

Term or holiday Dates
Autumn term Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026
October half term Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026
Christmas holiday Monday 21 December 2026 to Friday 1 January 2027
Spring term Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027
February half term Monday 15 to Friday 19 February 2027
Easter holiday Friday 26 March to Friday 9 April 2027
Summer term Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027
May half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027
Summer holiday Thursday 22 July to Tuesday 31 August 2027

INSET days are not in the county calendar. Hampshire gives each school five days for staff training closures, set by the headteacher and governors, so your child may have a day or two more off than the table shows.

Local schools that publish their own dates

Each row comes from the school’s own website, checked on 25 September 2026.

School October half term Last day before Christmas INSET and other closures
John Hanson Community School, Andover 26 to 30 Oct Fri 18 Dec 1 Sep, 25 Sep, 4 Jan, 29 Jan, 2 Jul
Lift Winton, Andover 26 to 30 Oct Fri 18 Dec (half day) 1 and 2 Sep, 4 Dec, 4 Jan, 25 Jun, 19 to 21 Jul; pupil progress review day 7 Dec
Rookwood School, Andover (independent) 19 to 30 Oct Fri 11 Dec 1 and 2 Sep, 4 Jan, 12 Apr
Testbourne Community School, Whitchurch 26 to 30 Oct Fri 18 Dec (early closure) 1 Sep, 2 Oct, 4 Jan, 15 Mar, 2 Jul; early closure 1 Oct
The Mountbatten School, Romsey 22 to 30 Oct Fri 18 Dec 1 Sep, 19 to 21 Oct, 12 Feb, 2 Jul

A few things stand out:

  • Rookwood’s year is shorter at both ends. It returns on 5 January like most, but breaks up for Easter on Friday 19 March and ends the summer term on Tuesday 13 July 2027. Its nursery runs to Tuesday 22 December.
  • Mountbatten’s three October INSET days sit next to half term, so pupils are off from Thursday 22 October. The school says those three days “will not be changed”.
  • Lift Winton’s summer term ends early for pupils, with a half day on Friday 16 July 2027 and INSET days on 19, 20 and 21 July.
  • Testbourne and Lift Winton both return on 5 January, a day after the county date, because 4 January is an INSET day at both.

Primary schools, Harrow Way, Portway and the other Andover secondaries mostly follow the county dates but set their own INSET days: the school office or newsletter is the place to check.

Still to be confirmed

  • 2027/28 dates. Hampshire has already published them: autumn term Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027, October half term 25 to 29 October 2027.
  • INSET days at schools not listed here. Some publish them only in the autumn newsletter.

For what is on locally in the October break, see our Andover October half term page. For Christmas week in the town, see Andover’s Christmas bin collections and the Christmas lights switch-on.