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Original poster

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

125 replies

UpperLowerMiddleClass · 23/03/2023 17:39

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?

OP posts:
Puppers · 23/03/2023 19:35

AlltheFs · 23/03/2023 19:05

It’s a sign of how increasingly dim most of the population is getting, they literally don’t understand the meaning of the words they say. They just say them, even when they make no sense whatsoever.

I work in HE. Each cohort is increasingly incapable and these people go on to be parents. It’s terrifying really. Give it another 50 years and the human race will
be completely incoherent.

It's a sign of how busy parents increasingly are. It's just not a big deal and it's very silly to judge someone for it. One of my school mum friends committed this apparently awful sin today when we were discussing holiday plans via text and she's an extremely successful woman with a masters degree. Certainly not "dim". But definitely extremely busy.

LucyLeave · 23/03/2023 19:38

I can't ever imagine giving a fuck what other people call school holidays.

LittleBearPad · 23/03/2023 19:40

Yes because they are idiots!

Interested in this thread?

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Events & celebrations
LucyLeave · 23/03/2023 19:41

I'd rather be an idiot than waste head space on such trivial shit.

Justforlaffs · 23/03/2023 19:44

Yes it’s annoying.

Even more annoying was dd referring to Easter as “spring break” ffs!

Ofstedareunsafe · 23/03/2023 19:45

Easter holidays can’t be a half term holiday, because it is at the end of a term.

Firstbornunicorn · 23/03/2023 19:47

I rarely hear the term in NI. It’s Halloween holidays, February break and the May bank holiday (usually 2 days). There’s no longer mid-term break in the summer term, but the kids finish at the end of June.

LlynTegid · 23/03/2023 19:57

Not heard it myself.

saltwater1985 · 23/03/2023 20:02

Wtf? No. Thank God.
If I heard someone saying half term for the proper holidays I'd be 🤔🙄

JessicaBrassica · 23/03/2023 20:03

I might have called the week after next half term... But that's because it's nearly the end of term and I'm totally knackered. I do know really that it's the Easter holidays. Last half term was in Feb, and the next one is May.

My kids school know this which is why the teaching periods are autumn 1, followed by autumn 2 then spring 1 &2 and finally summer 1 &2.

Daisydu · 23/03/2023 20:04

UpperLowerMiddleClass · 23/03/2023 17:39

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?

my partner does this. It drives me nuts. He refers to the summer holidays as half term. What a bellend lol

Phonemonkey2023 · 23/03/2023 20:06

My ex does this - I find it more annoying because it’s him!

WishingMyLifeAway · 23/03/2023 20:33

MrsMoastyToasty · 23/03/2023 18:33

It also annoys me that children here go up to year 11 and then go to SIXTH form.

That's just because secondary school used to be 1st to 5th year and the next two years were sixth form - lower and upper.

Then they decided to change it for no real reason at all just to confuse everyone. I still use 1st to 5th year even though my DS went through years 7-11 (then sixth form!). I have to convert it in my head!

Phonemonkey2023 · 23/03/2023 21:01

Yep it’s a thing.

Have people started to say ‘half term’ to refer to all school holidays?
Mammyloveswine · 23/03/2023 21:57

It's the end of spring term so the Easter hols!

Easter, Christmas and summer are the the end of term.,,

October half term..February half term... may half term (whit week)...

I'm a teacher!

LoveBluey · 23/03/2023 23:07

Rummikub · 23/03/2023 18:30

If someone suggested meeting up the first Monday of half term
at dinner time I would turn up 29th May at noon ish.

Oh dear, if I had issued that invitation we'd have the same date in mind but I would be expecting you around 6pm!

Faircastle · 23/03/2023 23:46

Half-term break = a break halfway through a term. It's in the name.

Using "half-term" to refer to the school holiday at the end of a term doesn't make any sense, regardless of how many people start doing it.

FlamingoCroquet · 23/03/2023 23:58

Yes I've noticed this odd mistake creeping in lately too. They're probably the same people who say 'step foot', and 'on the weekend'.

Faircastle · 24/03/2023 00:12

FlamingoCroquet · 23/03/2023 23:58

Yes I've noticed this odd mistake creeping in lately too. They're probably the same people who say 'step foot', and 'on the weekend'.

I can see how "step foot" started (people mishearing "set foot") but recently I've been seeing it more frequently, even from those who should know better.

BertieBotts · 24/03/2023 11:37

This is infuriating Grin

ShakeYourFeathers · 24/03/2023 12:02

Yanbu

I work in a school and fellow staff are starting to say half term for Easter here too.
It's so confusing

Florenz · 24/03/2023 18:42

Schools should send out a text message to all parents telling them what half term means.

woodhill · 24/03/2023 18:50

Andanotherone01 · 23/03/2023 17:55

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.

So do I lol

cocksstrideintheevening · 24/03/2023 18:53

Kent. We seem to have gone American. Spring break, autumn break. I think it's been influenced by two week half term in October

JellyfishandShells · 24/03/2023 18:56

Never heard of it and just asked teacher DD who was equally bemused. London area, in case it’s a regional thing

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