It's not bloody half term!

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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?

You’re being rude and not making any sense.
You were the one that claimed math was more grammatically correct than maths, I don’t know why you’re getting so wound up at being asked to explain.

It is so silly because they don’t even have half terms anymore they are all just terms. So we need new names for the holidays between terms like maybe Autumnmas, Spring Break and June McJuneface. I don’t see why they changed the traditional way of doing it, I also am told they don’t sing hymns any more which really boils my peace.

My grandma said they had "potato picking" holidays when they were at school (October).

@InterestedinEfteling so you never say “Christmas holidays” or “Easter holidays”? And if you’re kids say they’re looking forward to the Christmas holidays, do you correct them and say “no it’s half term”?

Catholic school. It is definitely the Easter Holiday. Christmas Holiday and Summer Holiday. Half terms go, well, half way between each of those.

YES! It's so weird, it's not half term.

Our holiday club uses 'half term' on all their comms (so this is 'Easter half term') and it's caught me out before looking at the wrong set of activities for actual half term vs the next long holiday.

I do agree it has been confusing, the change has been quite recent - there may have been schools or parts of the country which have always used half term, but the majority have had end of terms for the Easter, Summer and Christmas holidays.

For those who say do not worry about it - there are changes to the English language being put in place which some people say we should just accept - this should not be the case, half term may be an innocous word but there are now "accepted" changes to the English language which I most certainly do not agree with. Where does it end?

I've seen so many people say "Easter half term" this year and I just want to shake them and shake them until they promise they'll never do it again.

Who is saying "happy half term"??

You must be very lucky and blessed in life if this is all you have to worry/think about.
Really not a big deal what people call it

My DC keep saying half term for Easter break - I keep saying half term in a week not two and it's Easter break - I can only assume this is coming from the school system itself.

Though I first encountered it among some primary school parents - I assumed they were just very confused - they were utterly bemused by other parents and some staff referring to whitsun half term . Also confused why some half terms were 1 or two weeks and checking with other parents all time which it was - despite council and school sending dates and having checkable webpages.

One of the reasons for continuing to use the correct terminology (half term, Easter holidays, Christmas holidays etc) is because it gives an idea of the length of the break. For the majority of kids, the half term breaks are a week, and the holiday breaks are at least 2 weeks. My kids have always had a sense of how long their break was, and they know that half term wasn’t a long break like Christmas/Easter/ summer.

Obviously there are exceptions, as I’m aware that private schools have 2 weeks in October, and the dates in Scotland are different . So before people start disagreeing with me, I’m aware of that variation. But for the vast majority of kids the half term breaks are all shorter.

Same here in Moray. We don't get Easter Monday. Kids finish on Thursday this year in order to get Good Friday off. We have a long weekend in February and 2 weeks tattie holidays in October but that's it apart from May Day and an occasional local holiday.

Maybe that why the names are being lost - as there is so much in media about changing the holiday lengths where I am - though it now set to happen 2025/26 academic year aiming to give more holiday time in wet and cold months and less in summer.

Most schools talk about having three terms with each one having its own characteristics; summer for exams, autumn for being the longest, spring for getting the most work done (or whatever).

It's only going to confuse things if people start calling the end of term the end of 1/2 term, and the breaks between each term 1/2 term breaks.

People within the school system will of course know what's what, but new parents may well get confused. It's not the end of the world, but why confuse something when what we have makes perfect sense.

Obviously there are exceptions, as I’m aware that private schools have 2 weeks in October, and the dates in Scotland are different . So before people start disagreeing with me, I’m aware of that variation. But for the vast majority of kids the half term breaks are all shorter.

My son's English state school have introduced a 2 week October 1/2 term. They are still calling it 1/2 term and it's a royal PITA

Well actually a poster a few posts back did say just that ence the reason I quoted their post. They said it was due to to "wanting to get away from Christian labels". Denying our Christian celebrations is like saying to a Muslim as they prepare for Eid, "Let's get away from our Muslim labels and call it something else." Both insulting.

YANBU, it annoys me too.

This is MN, people can can't annoyed by the most trivial things, little wonder they're so busy and time-poor!

NDN who drives for the schools called it half term, I wondered what he was on about

God forbid you look after your own children.

Actual LOL.

You all need to get hobbies if this is the type of thing you're losing sleep over.

I couldn't get excited about it. Not everyone celebrates Easter etc. It's more inclusive language. I've got bigger fish to fry.

Oh its so annoying - all last week the radio was offering a competition for a prize to use over mid term break ( this week) the amount of people texting telling her it was Easter holidays not mid term was unreal and by Wed they corrected it to Easter. I don't get it at all, the term has finished a new one will start in 2 weeks time, therefore its not mid term. Why is it that the shops are allowed to cover the place with Easter eggs, happy Easter signs and decorations, and your not allowed to call it Easter Holidays. Regardless is you are relgouse or not, the Days are called Easter Sunday