School Term Dates and Holiday Dates 2027-28
We are pleased to share with you the term dates for the 2027-28 academic year.
Local authorities have a statutory duty to set the school term dates for local authority‑maintained community schools, community special schools, voluntary controlled schools and maintained nursery schools. Other than in exceptional circumstances, there is no flexibility for these schools to deviate from the prescribed term / pupil holiday dates.
Foundation, trust, voluntary aided schools and academies are responsible for setting their own calendars.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond to the consultation on school term dates for the 2027-28 academic year, which took place towards the end of last year. We received 32 responses, an increase from the 23 received during the previous consultation. The majority of responses were from school staff (78%), alongside contributions from parents (19%), governors (3%) and pupils (3%). Two respondents (6%) did not indicate which group they represented. We also received feedback from the Norfolk CEO's forum.
Following careful consideration of the consultation responses, it has been agreed that the Eastern Regional Model calendar for 2027-28, as published during the consultation, will be amended to increase the number of full teaching weeks:
- Thursday 2 and Friday 3 September will be school closure days, with pupils returning to school on Monday 6 September.
- Pupils will attend school on Monday 1 November and Friday 21 July 2028
- INSET days can be taken on any day a school is closed to pupils. Revised suggested dates can be found on the bottom of the model calendar.
The Norfolk school term dates for 2027-28 are therefore those set out in the calendar linked below. These dates are required to be followed by community schools, community special schools, voluntary controlled schools and maintained nursery schools. Locally schools are able to select five staff training days from the 'yellow' closure dates, suggested dates for this are included at the bottom of the model calendar.
While other schools are not required to follow these dates, the agreed calendar provides a helpful template that many schools and partners choose to align with. This shared approach supports collaboration across the local education system and helps to make best use of local resources for the benefit of children, families and schools. We encourage any academy, foundation or voluntary aided school who is considering amending their calendar to consult fully with parents, other local schools and the local authority well in advance of any change being implemented. Any new deviation from these dates will need consultation with the LA, as changes may have detrimental impact on School transport arrangements.
The model calendar for 2027-28 can be found here:
School term dates and school holidays
The full Consultation Report can be found here:
