Have people started to say ‘half term’ to refer to all school holidays?

[UpperLowerMiddleClass]

To me the school holidays coming up in a couple of weeks are the Easter holidays. The other long school holidays are the Christmas holidays and the summer holiday/break. Each of the three school terms have a break in the middle called ‘half term’.

But increasingly I’ve noticed people refer to any school holiday as ‘half term’, both on here and in life generally. I had a conversation recently where I completely misunderstood a school mum - she was talking about plans for the half term. I thought she was being very organised and talking about the May/June half term, but it turned out she was talking about (what I’d call) the Easter holidays.

Has anyone else noticed this? Has the terminology somehow changed without me noticing?

Yes it's incorrect and infuriating! I'd have been confused too.

Yes, and it's really irritating.

Here in Kent they have changed the year to 6 terms instead of 3. So we are coming to the end of term 4. But the holidays between terms 1 and 2, 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 are still half term. But no longer halfway through the term. Also annoying. But not as annoying as everyone calling ever holiday half term.

I have noticed it as well, but only on mumsnet. Half term is a week at the end of October, a week in February and a week at the end of May. School/college/university holidays are Christmas, Easter and the summer.

AhHa! Isn’t it great when someone voices what you’ve been thinking? It drives me crazy.

It’s the END of term, people! So it’s either Christmas, Easter or Summer holidays.
Also we used to refer to the October half-term as BlackBerry week <irrelevant>. Out of interest did anyone else have a label for their half terms?

But it’s the same it’s the second half of the term so still a half term or full term break. Easter, Christmas holidays etc don’t make sense for all. Maybe it should be winter spring and summer holidays with half term breaks in the middle.

Yeah, it’s half term next week 🤣

Oh and end of May is the whitsun week to add to the confusion

I'm in Scotland and we only have one half term which is a week in February (and not everyone gets this so some have none at all). October for is a holiday like Easter etc. imo England has 2 (feb and may) and not heard others referred to as half terms - yet!

Yes! Even my dd said half term and I was confused. It’s end of term or Easter break. Spring break if you must but I don’t like that either.

Yeah I’ve notice this too but technically there are no half terms anymore so it’s a redundant term entirely - there are 6 terms now aren’t there? 👏🏻

Meant 🤷🏻‍♀️ not 👏🏻!

Is it 6 terms? Not three terms with three half terms??

Still three terms (with a half term break) here!

Yep. Even the teacher I was chatting to earlier was talking about half term.

Definitely Easter holidays and not half term - that makes no sense. 3 half term holidays, then Christmas, Easter and summer hols (in England 😄).

That’s why you send your child private so that they can have proper words for terms and holidays . Shirt and long leaves, halves, Lent term etc.

My kids school doesnt call it easter,
We have the half terms and then summer, winter and spring break/holiday

Yesssssss

There is a poster up in our local softplay advertising "Half-Term Activities" and I want to rip it down or red pen it

Yes and it annoys the shit out of me. I just correct them and ask if they mean Easter/Christmas/Summer holidays. But then I refer to the Whitsun holiday and people look at me gone out.

@ASignfromabove we also labelled our half terms. October was blackberry, February was Lent and Summer was farming break.

It's not a new thing. I can remember family doing it when I was a kid.

You probably just notice it more now because you're on Mumsnet

DH also says mid-term. I’m like ‘it’s Easter and it’s the end of term!’

Yes.

It’s ridiculous. There’s three terms and the week holiday in the middle of each one is half way through so half term.

Half term doesn’t mean it’s the half term point, around here half term just means “kids off school”.
Thought that was common knowledge.

I'm glad someone else is annoyed by this. It drives me absolutely insane. Since when has everything been a half term? I replied to someone with may half term dates when they asked on the parents whatsapp recently, when they actually wanted the date they break up for Easter.