Private Schools and Holidays

[tryingtobemarypoppins2]

AIBU to wonder just how parents with children in private education manage with child care in the holidays?

My son is at a nursery attached to an independent school and so the term dates are the same. Last year he had 9 weeks off in the Summer, 4 weeks at Easter, 4 weeks at Christmas and a week in Feb. This seems so much more than the state system (which he is going to asap!).

Just how do parents do it???

CMOT - depends on the age and disposition of your child I suspect. DS hates organised group activities with a vengeance (but I did manage to sneak in a week of football camp. Only 10-3 though, and he was practically comatose in the early evenings).

also am biased as was regularly packed of to local authority child camp as a child (in state school). and I absolutely hated every minute of it.

Even if I could earn enough to cover holiday clubs, I wouldn't go for them. Well, I might go for them for a week - though nothing on earth would possess DS to go to one, as he detests group things. If I could earn that kind of money (and with three DCs, you're talking about hundreds of pounds a week for holiday camps), I'd definitely try to find a nanny. I think children really do need time to be at home, even if nine or ten weeks is arguably too much of that particular good thing. Private schools cram so much into short terms (when you add in concerts, shows, matches, performances, swimming galas etc, etc, etc, etc, they are sometimes there pretty much from breakfast until bedtime) that they are completely exhausted by the time the holidays arrive.

Very difficult. When DC1 and 2 went to prep school they had a week in Feb half term, 4 weeks at Easter, 1 week June, 8 weeks in the summer, 2 weeks Oct/Nov half term and 3 1/2 to 4 weeks at Christmas.

Ex DH and I used to juggle things as much as possible with the help of grandparents. My parents used to have them for at least a week in the summer, christmas and oen of the half-terms, ex DH's parents had them for a week or so and used to use holiday clubs.

Its difficult but at least DS's school offers an excellent holiday club, plus next door neighbour is CM plus swop days with other Mums.

At least DS in P1 is going straight into full days rather than doing half days for 6 weeks which is what our local state schools do, my friend has had to take unpaid leave to cover that.

the holiday club in our school is always open when the school is closed (except for bank holidays). We use the club, grandparents and our own holidays to cover the school holidays. It is not cheap, but yet we knew about it when we chose to send DS to an independent school, so we can't really complain

We did with a combination of au-pair, grandparents, camp beaumont, other activity courses and the fact that I work locally and could be a bit flexible about sharing the taking and coming home with other families. It was tough and it's all part of the overall cost that has to be factored in. Ours are 16 and 13 now and on the whole can look after themselves with a bit of structure and regular tenners! The upside is they have lovely friends and have been invited for a week each away on holiday with other families this year.

Cmot - just to clarify ds school does not have a holiday scheme atbthe school, it would be a question of patching together various private arrangements (hence tiring and wouldn't in likelihood involve his friends/ classmates).

yes, that would be different - ds is with people he knows in a familiar enviroment that has an overall structure to the holiday

lots of juggling and working at home when they were younger, much easier now though. Love the 2 week Oct break, they always ready for it. They back Thursday after 9 weeks, can't wait :)