Mumsnet Talk

Just found out that the school dc will attend has 21 weeks off in the school year. My husband and I each have 4 weeks off work so that leaves a deficit of 13 weeks at best if we never had holidays together.

What is going on here? I am foreign so am surprised by all of this.

Sorry, what I am getting at is where is the child expected to go during this time? Presumably they will appreciate that most families would require two salaries to afford the school in the first place?

Can't you send them to a state school? I guess it's not really the school's problem where they go whilst you are slaving away to pay the fees!

Must admit I do wonder why on earth independent schools have such long holidays but cram so much into the time that they are at school. Surely better for everyone especially the children to spread things more evenly?

Even state schools have around 14 weeks off a year, more than your holidays would cover, so everyone who works has the issue of what to do with children in the holidays. You must have had some plan - you can't have expected them only to have 8 weeks off surely?

Anyway, people get round it in a multitude of ways. Nannies, childminders, organised holiday schemes, relatives, etc, taking unpaid time from work.

21 weeks holiday? Wow! That is loads.

State school is 12-13 weeks, plus 5 days INSET which may be attached to holidays or spread throughout the year. DD's independent school has 3-4 weeks extra but no INSET during term time, so approx 16 weeks holiday.

21 weeks is more than some private schools - ours was 17 weeks. The good side is that you can go on family holidays off-peak, the bad side is having to arrange childcare (which you would still need for a state school, but there's more time to cover). Our best holiday childcare was employing a student teacher as a nanny, she was at home from Uni just when we needed her. Otherwise we used holiday clubs for the weeks which overlapped with state school hols and dh/I took time off for the times when holiday clubs weren't running.

Does the school run a holiday club? I know lots of Indie schools do for pre prep/prep

Would be childminder, holiday club, family to get round it.

Don't schools have holidays everywhere in the world???

Thanks for all the useful tips, the uni student is a good idea, I will look into holiday clubs also.

I remember having a week off at Christmas and Easter then 8 weeks in the summer when I grew up.

I thought all schools were about the same.

Where did you grow up figsandfrogs?

I am 37y and went throught he state system in England. Was still same 13 weeks then as it is now.

The more you pay the less you get !

Holiday clubs, grandparents, class parents (they have yours one day you have theirs another), childminder etc. Usual issue for all households where both parents work regardless of state or private. Having said that 21 weeks is a lot even for private. Usual is 18 or 19 weeks ime.

Gosh 21 weeks, my daughter's state school has more like 13 weeks off.

School holiday clubs is a good starting point, book up all the weeks you can - otherwise employ a nanny or childminder? Who is going to look after the DC after school before you get home from work?

Ah yes. Bit of a problem that they have so much more time off.

We've done some combination of all of the following:

1. Family holidays
2. Holiday clubs
3. School holiday trips - eg skiing
4. Au-pairs
5. Friends and family
6. Sharing with other families in the same situation

We've always just muddled through. You'll cope.

Figs...is the school day very long? Does she go on Saturdays? 21 weeks holidays sound a lot.

Private schools do have longer holidays but even so, 21 weeks is more than usual.

Ours have
8 weeks in summer
3 weeks for christmas
3 weeks for Easter
4 weeks for half term (there is one 2-week half term)

So ours have 18 weeks holiday in total. Still a lot to cover though.

Blimey. 21 weeks beats our 19, and I thought that was a lot!
Goodness knows how working parents cope. We cope because I am self employed, so know not to take on any work for nine weeks in summer. And so on...

state schools seem to have:

2 weeks easter
2 weeks christmas
5 weeks summer
3 weeks half term

plus some inset days - so 12-13 weeks - the school holiday clubs generally just run in state school holidays.

i'd be surprised if any schools here just have one week for christmas and easter and no half terms.

DS has:

9 weeks in summer
4 weeks @ Christmas
4 weeks @ Easter
3 weeks of half terms

which is 20 if my sleep-addled brain works correctly.

What do we do? A complex jigsaw of holiday clubs (various, including one run especially to cover private school holidays!), me working 4 days/week, DS's friend's mother working 4 days/week (so we each have both boys for one day a week), my holiday, DH's holiday, and fobbing DS off on my mother.

As others have said, even state school holidays cannot be covered by annual leave alone, especially if you and DH want to ever have time off at the same time - so your only added challenge is finding cover for those 'extra' weeks.

The other option, which we have got very used to using with DS at school and DD at nursery, is DS kicking around at home while either DH or I works from home. Once DD starts school we may have to re-think that one as two of them together at home require a lot more active supervision than one .

The US has long, long summer holidays but pretty much every leisure centre, activity centre and school runs a variety of summer camps which is rather nice (if expensive).

I honestly don't know what the answer is in the UK. I've wondered how people do it unless one parent is SAHP or a teacher.

By the pain of paying out a lot of money.

Rather than taking the holiday in blocks, my dh and I have 2 weeks together every year, then take a day off a week during the holidays, so the kids have childcare for 3 days a week.

Problem is the holidays that don't match state, we pay for student nanny also.

I am most definitely not telling my son about this. He'll be nagging to go private.

Stealthsquiggle, my brain is more addled than yours. I added up the same figures as you, and it came to 19!

Same situation. We spend more $$ per week on extra classes etc than if dd was at school.
Usually a full day summer school for 3 weeks, holiday for 2-3 weeks and friends homes & additional tutoring at home for subjects needing extra work.
Have a nanny which helps with half terms and christmas but overall one big costly juggling act.(hmm)

DDs school only seems to have a couple more weeks off than the state ones locally. And they make it easier for working parents to manage because they run holiday clubs.