To get irritated by people who call every school holiday Half Term?

[sorrynotathome]

How can you not know that the half term holiday is in the middle of the term? After the first half and before the second half. At the end of term is the Easter, Summer or Christmas holidays. Do some people think Half Term is an English word for schools being closed? Now I’ve typed term so much it’s started to look weird.

YANBU this is my biggest annoyance at the moment. Drives me absolutely mad.

I couldnt tell you where in the year anything is

Seriously? Has this always been the case and is there any particular reason? I mean, if you are a recent immigrant to the UK then I can understand why that might be the case, but otherwise I find it surprising

As long as I’ve managed to arrange childcare for the holidays and have sorted out all the trips/kits/clubs/uniform/shoes/lunches before they go back then I’m winning (I don’t care what you call it)

Same. Couldn’t get worked up about something so ridiculously minor. I know what people mean when they say it.

I suppose because holiday doesnt fall off the tongue the way half term does, for me.

I dont really use the word holiday to think about it now.

I might say 'we're going away' for example rather than 'we're going on holiday'

Just a personal preference and language I suppose.

It was Autumn term, Spring term and Summer term when I and my dc were in school.

I think parents of non primary school children don’t know because why would they and why would they care?
I certainly couldn’t have told you when any sort of school break was on a calendar other than Christmas/ Easter but when then often some schools are a week or two before others etc, or whether it was full or half term for much of my working life.

Yes always been the case. I think honestly if someone told me it was July already I would think 'oh its cold for July'

Im not great a times of the year.

Same as a child. I probably said half term then as well

That's not true - I don't know.
They could mean February or May half-term, which is why they used those words, or they could mean any school holiday.

Then just ask.

Irrationally annoys me too.

I dont know why but this annoys me too

Easter is coming so everyone refers to it as half term

But you must stop!

It isn’t short hand for a holiday - that’s how many are using it and it’s wrong.

A half term is half way through a term. The holidays at the end of each term are the holidays. Or the school holidays. You don’t have to say Easter if you don’t want to!

I don't think people call EVERY holiday half term though. No-one calls the Christmas holidays or the Summer holidays half term.

Some people do call EASTER half term though, and that is fucking annoying!

My husband does this. I let it slide at first but now I correct him every time.

some people refer to the six week
summer break as half term which is mind blowing. There’s nothing half about the end of one academic year and beginning of another

They really do.

Exactly. Why would ANYone call the Christmas holidays 'half term?!' 😂

Not something I can get worked up about. Certainly not to the point of being passive aggressive to friends about. We all know what it means when you say it and don’t be pedantic and say you don’t

I had no idea this is a thing but I am genuinely surprised to hear people don't know what time of year it is, how could this possibly be true?

I think you may be right! 😬People are already doing it on this thread!

Christmas holidays are half term now.. WHAAAA?! 😂

Well I probably wont because thats how I remember them!

I wouldnt remembe its 'Easter', I just know theres a school holiday and a number of bank holidays. I have to check my airbnb bookings all the time anyway to check when we're going away, I never remember. I know its vagulely around the bank holidays.

Are you ok?

Reflection on the parents education..can't work out half and whole terms..why have I just thought of the jaffa cakes advert! 🙈😂

So do i

I read it that the poster I quoted didn't know when anything fell, regardless of its effect on school.

Whatever, even if you don't have children at school yet, or anymore, if you went to school in this country or have had children at school here, I am still surprised if you wouldn't remember roughly when and what each holiday is. It's not like the structure of the school year has changed, it has been the same for generations.

I am in my 60s. Over 40 years since I left FT education and over a decade since my DC did. Not a teacher ever. I think I still have a pretty clear idea what and when all the school holidays are.

PP above referred to the “academic year” which even though I have DC I don’t pay that much attention to. I know when they are supposed to be in and when they are off (too bloody frequently!) as I mark it all out in the calendar but the terminology around it isn’t part of my life at all so I can’t get worked up about people saying half term instead of Easter.
Also there are schools who fix their break to the same two weeks each year regardless of when actual Easter is - what are we calling that?!