Hey Raha blog · School life
Christmas Jumper Day 2026: the date, the donation and what your child's school will ask for
Christmas Jumper Day 2026 is on Thursday 10 December 2026. It's Save the Children's annual fundraiser: children and adults wear a festive jumper and donate what they can, with a suggested £1 per child and £2 per adult. Schools can pick another day, so check your school's letter or email for the date it's actually using.
Last updated: 22 October 2026
December is the busiest month in the school inbox: the nativity, the Christmas fair, Christmas lunch, party day and the last day of term, often in the same fortnight. Christmas Jumper Day is one more date, one more donation and one more thing to remember on a dark morning. Here's what to know and how to make sure it isn't the thing that slips.
Christmas Jumper Day 2026 at a glance
| What | Detail | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Official date | Thursday 10 December 2026 | Confirmed, Save the Children |
| Can schools choose another day? | Yes, Save the Children says the Friday or any other day is fine | Confirmed, Save the Children |
| Suggested donation | £1 per child, £2 per adult, or whatever you can afford | Confirmed, Save the Children |
| Do you have to donate? | No, the amount is a suggestion | Confirmed, Save the Children |
| How schools collect | Coins brought into school, or parents paying online through the school's fundraising page | Confirmed, Save the Children |
| Your school's date | Check the school's letter or email | Varies by school |
Christmas Jumper Day started on 14 December 2012. Save the Children says it has raised more than £42 million since then, including £2.6 million in 2025.
What your child's school will usually ask for
Save the Children leaves the details to each school, so letters vary. Things to look for in the email:
- The date. Thursday 10 December is the national day, but some schools use the Friday or fold it into another festive day.
- Uniform or not. Some schools ask for a Christmas jumper over uniform, others make it a non-uniform day. The letter will say which.
- How to pay. Coins in an envelope, or a link to pay online. If it's coins, note it the night before.
- Anything extra. Some schools add a festive lunch or a class activity on the same day.
If the details are in a long newsletter rather than a single email, they are easy to miss. Our guide on too many school emails has tips for finding the one line that matters.
A jumper without a new jumper
The day is about the donation, not the outfit. Save the Children asks people to avoid buying a new jumper: decorate an old one, try a charity shop or swap with friends. Some low-cost ideas:
- Check last year's jumper first. It may still fit, or fit a younger sibling.
- Ask about a swap. Check whether your school or PTA is running a pre-loved jumper swap.
- Decorate what you have. A plain jumper or sweatshirt with felt shapes, tinsel or safety-pinned decorations does the job. Save the Children's sign-up resources include decoration guides.
- Borrow from a friend with older children.
When the school moves the day, Raha tells you
The national date is fixed, but your school's date isn't. A school can move Christmas Jumper Day to the Friday, swap it with party day or add a non-uniform rule a week before. Hey Raha reads your school emails, read-only. When the date or the rule changes, she spots it, updates your family plan and tells you on WhatsApp, so the jumper and the £1 are ready on the right day. Try Hey Raha free for 14 days.
If someone else does the school run
If your nanny, childminder, a grandparent or your partner gets the children ready that morning, they need the same information you do:
- Which day (the school's day, not the national one).
- Jumper over uniform, or non-uniform.
- How much, and in what form (coins in a named envelope, or already paid online).
Hey Raha sends the person doing the school run their own WhatsApp version of the family plan, without fees or private notes, so no one has to forward a newsletter. For keeping class chats under control, see our guide to class WhatsApp groups.
Your December school-email checklist
- Now: look for the school's December dates letter and add every date to one family calendar.
- Late November: check last year's jumper, or ask whether there's a swap.
- Week of 7 December: confirm the school's Christmas Jumper Day date and the uniform rule.
- The night before: jumper out, coins in the bag or payment made.
- Mid December: the last day of term can have an earlier finish. Check the time in the school's email.
The next big dress-up day is in March: our World Book Day 2027 guide has the date, the £1 token deadline and easy costume ideas.
If school emails are taking over your inbox, our guide to stop school emails taking over Gmail shows how to filter them.
Christmas Jumper Day FAQ
When is Christmas Jumper Day 2026?
Christmas Jumper Day 2026 is on Thursday 10 December 2026. Save the Children says schools and workplaces can hold it on another day, such as the Friday, so check your school's date.
How much should my child donate on Christmas Jumper Day?
Save the Children suggests £1 per child and £2 per adult, but it is only a suggestion. You can give more, less, or nothing, and still take part.
Do children wear school uniform on Christmas Jumper Day?
It depends on the school. Some ask for a Christmas jumper over uniform, others make it a non-uniform day. Your school's letter or email will say.
Do I need to buy a new Christmas jumper?
No. Save the Children asks people to avoid buying new: decorate an old jumper, try a charity shop or swap with friends. Last year's jumper or a hand-me-down works too.
Who runs Christmas Jumper Day?
Save the Children UK has run Christmas Jumper Day every December since 2012. Schools, workplaces and groups sign up for free and receive posters and activity resources.
Sources
- Save the Children UK, Christmas Jumper Day 2026 (official date, suggested donations, history, amount raised)
- Save the Children UK, Christmas Jumper Day FAQs (date can move to the Friday or another day, donation is a suggestion, no need to buy a new jumper, school packs)
A little help from Hey Raha
Nativity, fair, lunch, jumpers, party day and the early finish: December school emails pile up fast. Hey Raha reads your school emails, read-only, and sends you and whoever does the school run one clear WhatsApp plan, updated when the school changes something. How Raha handles your email.
Start freeMarie, founder of Hey Raha
Related: World Book Day 2027 · too many school emails · stop school emails taking over Gmail
More from the blog: the Hey Raha blog hub. New here? Our practical guides walk through the day-to-day.