It's not bloody half term!

[Dotdashdottinghell]

Why / when did every school holiday become half term?

The half term holidays are February, Whitsun and October, not Easter, Christmas and thr summer.

People keep saying "Happy half term" or "Enjoy the half term" etc. Why is this an accepted thing?

I'm in Kent and yes, multiple people have referred to the upcoming holiday as half-term. I have even once heard the summer holiday referred to as half-term.

To add I just searched the word "half" in our class WhatsApp group and found two separate people referencing the "Easter half-term" just in the last couple of weeks.

But it's not "Easter school holidays", it's just "Easter holiday". Why do schools claim every bloody holiday as theirs?!

Many thanks

Re 'Summer hols' as 'half term' 😂

Oh, to be a teacher.....

Really? Please sign up! Unfortunately the 40,000 who quit teaching last year clearly disagree with you.

Oh and another one. In February, after half-term, there was a message asking what dates people were free for a class party in "the next half-term". With a poll that then gave dates not actually in the next half-term but in the Easter holidays.

Schools get two weeks off. Everyone else gets 2 days. It is therefore a school holiday.

The two week break is the half term (in old money) that just happens to fall at Easter so the two are combined - hence a two week holiday. It's the same at Christmas - 2 weeks for schools to combine the Christmas bank holidays plus the end of term. Every other school break is one week with exception of the school summer holidays.

Makes perfect sense to me.

Oh, to be a teacher....

Yep - only work from 9 to 3 and 13 weeks holidays. It's a breeze.

Eh? I lost you at "the two week break is the half term (in old money)"

It’s definitely real. I see/hear it frequently (SE England).

So irritating

The two week break is the half term (in old money) that just happens to fall at Easter so the two are combined - hence a two week holiday.

Ermmm - what?! No. There are 3 full holidays, separating the 3 terms. They are the Christmas holidays, the Easter holidays and the summer holidays. Then there are 3 half-term holidays, so called because they fall halfway through each term. I have no idea what you mean about holidays being combined. Nothing is combined!

How does that make any sense? Christmas, Easter and the summer are all at the end of terms, not half way through. October, February and May are half-way through the terms hence half-term holiday.

None of what you said made any sense.

I'm pretty sure Easter was banned in 2004, it was in the Daily Mail at the time.

Ok, I'll make this even simpler for those that are struggling.

There are 6 terms. At the end of each term there is a one week school break. Except at Christmas and Easter as these also incorporate the extra 2 days bank holidays at these times. Therefore there is a 2 week break for schools at these 2 times.

The end of year is a long break - 6 weeks.

Why are people finding this so hard?

I think the issue lies in the fact that there aren’t 6 terms, there are 3.

There are three terms, not six.

What? There are three terms. The autumn trim, the spring term and the summer term.

Here:

https://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/info/3/schools_and_education/529/school_term_and_holiday_dates_in_central_bedfordshire

For those who don't click on links:

• Autumn school term 2024
• term starts on Monday, 2 September 2024
• half-term is Monday 28 October to Friday 1 November 2024 - schools are closed
• term starts again on Monday, 4 November 2024
• term ends for the Christmas school holidays on Friday 20 December 2024 with schools closed until Friday, 3 January 2024

• Spring school term 2025
• term starts on Monday, 6 January 2025
• half-term is Monday, 17 February 2025 to Friday, 21 February 2025 - schools are closed
• term starts Monday, 24 February 2025
• term ends on Friday, 4 April 2025
• Friday, 18 and Monday, 21 April 2025 are bank holidays - schools are closed

• Summer school term 2025
• term starts on Tuesday 22 April 2025
• Early May bank holiday is Monday, 5 May 2025 - schools are closed
• Spring bank holiday is Monday, 26 May 2025 - schools are closed
• half-term is Tuesday, 27 May 2025 to Friday, 30 May 2025 - schools are closed
• term ends on Tuesday, 22 July 2025

There are 6 terms in all the schools I work with - around 185 schools across 3 counties. Perhaps it's different where you are.

There are 6 terms in all the schools I work with - around 185 schools across 3 counties. Perhaps it's different where you are.

Ah sorry, I didn’t realise you’re not in the UK.

There are 6 terms in all the schools I work with - around 185 schools across 3 counties. Perhaps it's different where you are.

Yes I am in the UK.

Here are our 6 terms, with dates and everything . . .

September 2024 to August 2025
Term Start date End date
Summer school holiday Wednesday 24 July 2024 Sunday 1 September 2024
INSET day Monday 2 September 2024
Term 1 Monday 2 September 2024 Friday 25 October 2024
Autumn school holiday Saturday 26 October 2024 Sunday 3 November 2024
Term 2 Monday 4 November 2024 Friday 20 December 2024
Christmas school holiday Saturday 21 December 2024 Sunday 5 January 2025
Term 3 Monday 6 January 2025 Friday 14 February 2025
February school holiday Saturday 15 February 2025 Sunday 23 February 2025
Term 4 Monday 24 February 2025 Friday 4 April 2025
Spring school holiday Saturday 5 April 2025 Monday 21 April 2025
Term 5 Tuesday 22 April 2025 Friday 23 May 2025
May school holiday Saturday 24 May 2025 Sunday 1 June 2025
Term 6 Monday 2 June 2025 Tuesday 22 July 2025