To not understand why everyone is calling every school holiday "half term" all of a sudden?

[CollieFIower]

It's not "half term" now. Half term is literally halfway through a term - summer/Easter/Christmas holidays mark the end of a term.

One half term break is in October, between the summer and Christmas holidays.

One half term break is in February, halfway between the Christmas and Easter holidays.

One half term break is in late may, halfway between the Easter and summer holidays.

Then you have actual holidays that come at the end of a term, and a new term starts when school goes back afterwards.

It seems like over the last couple of years I'm seeing all holidays referred to as "half term" and I know it's hardly a big deal and yes I'm also worried about nuclear war and child poverty but it still annoys me a bit!

I have found my people... this drives me bonkers!

The only reason I don't get them confused is that I don't receive a bill at half term

As a teacher it's because we don't use 3 terms anymore, but 6. So we are going back to term 5. I say half term but none of them are.

It shouldn't, but it drives me bonkers too.

Fewer syllables than Easter holidays. I've caught myself saying it, and I'm a teacher. In my defence, it's be a bonkers half term since Feb, so my mind can't quite accept it's now Easter.

Thought this was just my excusable 13yr old. Are you saying the bloody teachers are calling it this? Duh.

Yes, it’s annoying. I hear it more and more often.

My daughter’s college had parents evening last week and I ended up in the most stupid conversation with her tutor. Tutor kept referring to sorting DD’s work experience placement ‘after half term’. I kept saying, but that’s ages away, it needs sorting now before DD runs out of time.

Turned out, Tutor actually meant after the Easter holidays.

Agree. I expect some influencer said it.

I nearly started a thread on this too! Mathematically incorrect for every break to be a half term🤔😤. Half terms occur in October, February and May. End of term, Christmas, Easter and Summer.

Lots of schools changed to calling them 6 separate terms though, so in many cases there's technically no such thing as half terms any more.

My bug bear too!

Interesting as I completely agree.

However I realise, in error. I always saw four terms, spring. Summer, autumn winter.

Summer, October, Christmas and Easter.

Then half terms being a newer thing here but generally November for St. Andrews, feb, may days, nothing between summer and October

Ten-year-old whose class I was teaching on Friday: Can we all shout, "Half term!" at 3:15?

Me: No, because it's the Easter holiday.

This is going to blow your (let me guess... English?) mind, but not everyone has the same terms as you.

We have four terms...

Spring term - January to end of March/start of April, followed by two weeks Spring holiday (often referred to as Easter holiday)

Summer term- mid April til end of June, followed by 6/7 weeks Summer holiday

Autumn term - mid August til end Sept/start of October, followed by two weeks Autumn holiday (various regional nicknames for this)

Winter term - mid October to just before Christmas, followed by approx two weeks Christmas holiday.

Therefore, a child here has potentionally finished their first school term in October. It's not difficult to understand.

Yes!! My DC and DH have started doing this. Very annoying.

It caused a massive issue in our family as SIL said she was booking a caravan at "half term" and DF thought it was half term, as you would, but she meant Easter hols and DF couldn't go.

Too many fucking holidays.

That's the problem

😂

YANBU it really annoys me too

Also agree about Staycation!

Not unpopular at all..😁
Honestly..the level of thick across the board has increased.

Behold my school calendar from the website.

This is going to blow your (let me guess... English?) mind, but not everyone has the same terms as you.

I'm pretty sure the OP is thinking specifically about school systems which have 3 terms, and is quite aware that there are many other systems. People who are agreeing with her are also thinking of the 3 term system.

I don't think we need to preface a rant on an informal chat board with a disclaimer letting people know that we are aware that other situations exist.

My sister referred to 1/2 term the other day. She has been a teacher for nearly 30 years. I need to disown her, don't I.

DS2's school is starting a 2 week break at Oct 1/2 term. I wonder what we'll call that apart from a working parent's pain in the arse

@TheOrigRights

My comment wasn't in response to, or directed at, the OP

Perhaps people are using 1/2 term as they might be thinking at referring to Christmas holiday or Easter holiday as offensive to some.

It also annoys me in education when people refer to half terms as terms. There are 3 terms, not 6!

I've noticed this recently! My DCs are way past school age but it still pisses me off for some strange reason. A friend mentioned a show she was arranging for half term had lots of tickets left. So I said oh you've still got a long time to sell them, end of May/beg of June ..... she said no next week!

That's not half term!