Term dates and academic calendar
The IWS school year 2026 to 2027
The year has three terms and 34 teaching weeks. Term 1 began on Monday 14 September 2026, and the year ends on Friday 4 June 2027.
The school calendar
Term dates, breaks, parent meetings, mocks and exams, month by month.
September 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
This month
- Term 1 beginsMon 14 Sep
October 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
This month
- UK clocks go back an hourSun 25 Oct
- Parent meetingsMon 26 Oct to Fri 6 Nov
November 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
This month
- Parent meetingsMon 26 Oct to Fri 6 Nov
- Exam preparation bootcampMon 23 Nov to Tue 24 NovYears 10 to 13
- Mock 1Wed 25 Nov to Fri 4 DecYears 10 to 13
December 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
This month
- Mock 1Wed 25 Nov to Fri 4 DecYears 10 to 13
- Term 1 ends, reports issuedFri 18 Dec
- Christmas breakMon 21 Dec to Fri 1 Jan
January 2027
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
This month
- Christmas breakMon 21 Dec to Fri 1 Jan
- Term 2 beginsMon 4 Jan
February 2027
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
This month
- Parent meetingsMon 1 Feb to Fri 12 Feb
- Exam preparation bootcampMon 22 Feb to Tue 23 FebYears 10 to 13
- Full mockWed 24 Feb to Fri 5 MarYears 10 to 13
March 2027
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
This month
- Full mockWed 24 Feb to Fri 5 MarYears 10 to 13
- Term 2 ends, reports issuedFri 19 Mar
- Easter breakMon 22 Mar to Fri 2 Apr
- UK clocks go forward an hourSun 28 Mar
April 2027
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
This month
- Easter breakMon 22 Mar to Fri 2 Apr
- Targeted support weeksMon 5 Apr to Fri 23 AprYears 10 to 13
- Term 3 beginsMon 5 Apr
- Parent meetingsMon 26 Apr to Fri 7 May
May 2027
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
This month
- Parent meetingsMon 26 Apr to Fri 7 May
- Cambridge June examsMon 3 May to Fri 4 JunYears 10 to 13 sitting Cambridge exams
- Exam preparation bootcampMon 10 May to Tue 11 MayYears 7 to 9, and Years 10 to 12 not sitting Cambridge exams
- End-of-year assessmentWed 12 May to Fri 21 MayYears 7 to 9, and Years 10 to 12 not sitting Cambridge exams
June 2027
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
This month
- Cambridge June examsMon 3 May to Fri 4 JunYears 10 to 13 sitting Cambridge exams
- Term 3 ends, reports issuedFri 4 Jun
Add the year to your calendar
Subscribe once and any change to a date reaches your calendar by itself.
The dates, term by term
Here’s what happens in each term, in order, and the break that follows it. Where a date is for some year groups only, it says which.
Autumn
Term 1
14 Sep to 18 Dec 2026
14 teaching weeks
- UK clocks go back an hour
- Lessons stay on UK time, so check your local lesson times if your clocks don’t change that day.
- Parent meetings
- Exam preparation bootcamp
- Years 10 to 13
- Mock 1, 8 school days
- Years 10 to 13
- Term 1 reports
Christmas break
Spring
Term 2
4 Jan to 19 Mar 2027
11 teaching weeks
- Parent meetings
- Exam preparation bootcamp
- Years 10 to 13
- Full mock, 8 school days
- Years 10 to 13
- Term 2 reports
Easter breakUK clocks go forward an hour on 28 Mar.
Summer
Term 3
5 Apr to 4 Jun 2027
9 teaching weeks
- Targeted support weeks
- Years 10 to 13
- Revision and extra help, shaped by the full mock.
- Parent meetings
- Cambridge June exams
- Years 10 to 13 sitting Cambridge exams
- Paper dates follow Cambridge’s June 2027 timetable and may run past 4 Jun.
- Exam preparation bootcamp
- Years 7 to 9, and Years 10 to 12 not sitting Cambridge exams
- End-of-year assessment, 8 school days
- Years 7 to 9, and Years 10 to 12 not sitting Cambridge exams
- Term 3 reports
The year ends
Questions about the year.
Why are there no half-term breaks?
Elsie Eayrs, our Academic Lead, made that call deliberately: half-terms break the rhythm of the academic year. Three uninterrupted terms with two proper breaks hold momentum better than five stop-start blocks. Families who need time out during a term can still take it, and the recordings are there when their child comes back.
How does homework work across the year?
Weekly homework is set each Monday and submitted each Friday. It pauses for the final three weeks of each term, and for the first three weeks of Term 3.
When will we see how our child is doing?
Reports are issued on the last day of each term. Parent meeting weeks sit separately, and you book a slot directly with your child’s teacher through a link they share in advance.
Can we join partway through the year?
Yes. IWS accepts students during the year as well as at the start of it. The 2026/27 academic year began on 14 September 2026. Most families start in September, and your child is placed by the Learner Profile rather than by the month they arrive.
Talk it through with us.
If you’re weighing up a start date, a short conversation is usually faster than a page of dates. Our admissions team replies within one working day.