School term & holiday dates

Here you will find information on all term dates and school closures for Northumberland.

Watch our welcome video where Jill, School Admissions and Inclusion Manager, talks about how this page can help you to find out what you are looking for.

School term dates and holidays

The latest information about schools in Northumberland affected by Coronavirus (COVID-19).

This information was last updated on 23 September 2020.

Reopening of schools

Attendance in nurseries, childminders and other early years providers remains optional, but we strongly encourage you to take up a place for your child. You can check if your child is eligible for any of the free childcare entitlements, worth on average £2,500 a year to parents of 2 year olds, and up to £5,000 a year to parents of 3 and 4 year olds, on the Childcare Choices website.

It is the expectation of the Department for Education that all pupils, in all other year groups, will return to school full-time from the beginning of the autumn term. For parents and carers of children of compulsory school age, this means that the legal duty on you as a parent to send your child to school regularly will apply.

A small number of pupils will still be unable to attend in line with public health advice because they are self-isolating and have had symptoms or a positive test result themselves, or because they are a close contact of someone who has coronavirus (COVID-19). If your child is unable to attend school or college for this reason, you should talk to your school or college about what support is in place in terms of remote education.

The Local Authority continue to work with head teachers in schools across the county to support them in the implementation of appropriate health and safety measures based on their risk assessments, and in line with Government guidance. If you have concerns about your child returning to school or college, because you consider they may have other risk factors, you should discuss with your school or college the measures they are putting in place to reduce risks in line with government guidance.

Useful resources

If you feel worried or anxious of your child/ren's return to school, you may find the resources on this padlet useful.

You can find the full questions and answers document here.

Will school transport be provided?

School transport will be provided, but this is dependent on the number of pupils who wish to travel, the availability of drivers, and the start times schools may operate.

Parents should contact their child’s school to discuss arrangements.

You can find the full questions and answers document here.

Will school meals still be provided?

The scheme outlines that if a school catering service cannot provide meals or food parcels, they should offer pupils from families that are eligible for benefits-related free school meals an alternative.

We are continuing to accept free school meal applications at this time. If you think your child is eligible but you are not currently claiming, you can contact us on 0345 600 6400 (Monday-Thursday 8.30am-5pm, Fridays 8.30am-4.30pm), or apply by submitting this application form:

Please click here to view the free school meals application form.

You can find the full questions and answers document here.

The following documents provide information regarding planned teacher training days and closures.

Please note teacher training days are subject to change and are updated regularly. If the relevant school is not listed, please check the individual school's website.

School closures – teacher training days (special schools)

September 2020 - July 2021

School closures – teacher training days

September 2020 - July 2021

Welcome to the school holiday term dates page. Here you will find information on school dates for holidays, teacher training days and unplanned school closures.

Northumberland school holiday and term dates 2020/2021
Please note, some schools have allocated their own term dates.
You should also check your school's website.

Holiday or occasion of closure	Date on which school will close	Date on which school will reopen

Summer 2020	Friday 17 July 2020	Tuesday 1 September 2020
October half term 2020	Friday 23 October 2020	Monday 2 November 2020
Christmas/New year 2020/2021	Friday 18 December 2020	Monday 4 January 2021
Spring half term 2021	Friday 12 February 2021	Monday 22 February 2021
Easter 2021	Friday 26 March 2021	Monday 12 April 2021
May Day 2021	Monday 3 May 2021
Summer half term	Friday 28 May 2021	Monday 7 June 2021
Summer 2021	Friday 16 July 2021	* Monday 6 September 2021

NB: Please contact your child's school directly for teacher training days.
* This has changed from 2 September 2021

View the links below to download PDF versions of the school term dates.

Authorised absences during term time

If an authorised absence request is granted, it will be the headteacher's responsibility to determine the length of time a child is absent.

Authorised absence is unlikely to be granted for family holidays.
Parents/carers can be fined for taking a child on holiday during term time without consent.

Further information regarding term-time absence can be found here.

Should we be informed of any of schools closed due to weather, building problems or other local reasons they will appear below.

Unplanned school closures will appear here:

Link to Northumberland School Closure List

Please also follow our alert social media channels for information on unplanned school closures when the school has informed us of a problem.

We also recommend that you also check with the individual school via their website, Social media pages and parent mail.

Details of school closures are also given on:

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