Essex County Council has published its 2027/28 school calendar. These dates apply to its community and voluntary-controlled schools. Academies and other schools can use different dates; check the individual school before booking.
Essex term dates 2027/28
| Term | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn 1 | 1 September 2027 | 22 October 2027 |
| Autumn 2 | 1 November 2027 | 17 December 2027 |
| Spring 1 | 4 January 2028 | 11 February 2028 |
| Spring 2 | 21 February 2028 | 31 March 2028 |
| Summer 1 | 18 April 2028 | 26 May 2028 |
| Summer 2 | 5 June 2028 | 21 July 2028 |
Essex school holidays 2027/28
| Holiday | First weekday off | Last weekday off |
|---|---|---|
| October half term | 25 October 2027 | 29 October 2027 |
| Christmas | 20 December 2027 | 3 January 2028 |
| February half term | 14 February 2028 | 18 February 2028 |
| Easter, including bank holidays | 3 April 2028 | 17 April 2028 |
| May half term, including bank holiday | 29 May 2028 | 2 June 2028 |
| Summer | 24 July 2028 | 31 August 2028 |
The holiday table includes bank holidays adjacent to the school break. Schools set their own INSET days, which can change the dates pupils attend.
Source: Essex County Council calendar, checked 22 October 2026.
Planning a group break around Essex school holidays
Essex families have good options in several directions. Suffolk is immediately north, with the Heritage Coast and Constable Country offering a proper countryside escape that’s barely an hour from most of Essex. The north Essex coast (Mersea Island, the Stour estuary) is underrated for group weekends.
A few practical points:
Watch the London boundary. Essex borders several London boroughs (Havering, Barking and Dagenham, Redbridge, Waltham Forest) that set their own term dates. If your group spans the Essex–London border, dates may differ. Our national school holidays 2027–2028 guide helps you find the overlap.
Southend and Thurrock are separate. If you’re in Southend-on-Sea or Thurrock, your council sets its own dates. Don’t assume they match Essex County Council’s calendar.
Half terms are your best-value booking windows. October and February half terms are just one week each, but they fall outside peak season pricing. A group house in Suffolk or the Essex countryside during February half term is a fraction of what the same house costs in August. Add a hot tub and you’ve got a proper winter escape.
Inset days in Essex
Essex community schools get five INSET days per year. Individual schools choose when to schedule them. They’re not in the tables above because they vary school by school.
The most useful ones are those that fall on a Friday before or a Monday after a half-term break. They extend a one-week holiday to nine days, which is enough time for a mid-week group trip instead of just a weekend. Check your school’s published calendar early in the year and book a family holiday house before other parents catch on.
Where to stay for an Essex group break
Suffolk is the obvious destination for Essex groups heading north. Aldeburgh, Southwold, and the Stour Valley have a strong mix of coast and countryside, with large group houses that suit groups of 10 or more. It’s close enough for a weekend but feels like a proper escape.
Head east into Kent and Canterbury is about 90 minutes from Chelmsford. South towards Brighton is a bit further but doable for a long weekend. And if your group wants to go properly rural, the Norfolk coast is within reach too.
Browse all our group houses and filter by group size and features to find something that fits. Our bank holidays 2028 guide covers every long weekend if you’re planning around those as well.
