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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Summer holiday clubs costs

155 replies

8654677j556 · 19/07/2022 06:29

Ds is going to reception in September and I read this piece in the guardian about the price of an average summer holiday club www.theguardian.com/money/2022/jul/19/charity-criticises-lack-of-uk-summer-childcare-as-cost-rises-to-nearly-900. We are in London so it says average is 161 a week, I've also seen lots of clubs at 50 pounds a day around here. How much does everyone pay and how do you afford it?

OP posts:
Daisytomhope · 19/07/2022 07:33

I think you have to look at this as it's an expensive six weeks but worth it to be employed all year round.
As a single parent I had no one to rely on so I used to save up all year round, take two weeks annual leave split over the six weeks. Use ofstead registered care. In the latter years I actually found it cheaper to use a childminder (who had spaces in the holidays as she had lots of teachers children). The only problem with this was I had to coordinate my annual leave around the childminders week off. But worth it for the reduction in cost for 3 dc.
Book early. Shop around. Mine went to one which was a nursery in term time and holiday club in the holidays. It was in the next village and I found out by word of mouth so ask around.

Ontomatopea · 19/07/2022 07:49

I think you can still use the tax free childcare?

Mally100 · 19/07/2022 08:00

Yanbu, it's extortionate. I'm in Central London, and it's about 220-300 per week.

thatsjusttheticket · 19/07/2022 08:02

£20 a day here 7.00-6

Classicblunder · 19/07/2022 08:04

The other thing to remember is that you don't have wraparound to pay for. We do holiday club for 2 weeks of the summer and annual leave for the rest - not having the wraparound costs for 4 weeks pays for the 2 weeks.

But the holidays are expensive

gogohmm · 19/07/2022 08:08

I was paying £18 a day 10 years ago for my youngest. It get significantly cheaper past 8 due to ratios but there's also fancier options for older ones

Morph22010 · 19/07/2022 08:08

Sen holiday clubs are around £150 a day round here and only run 9 to 3. We have to manage by a combination of saving all our holidays and taking at diff times and luckily we have one grandparent to help. If not we’d prob have to take unpaid leave if that were allowed

NCHammer2022 · 19/07/2022 08:10

The one at DD’s school she’ll be starting in September is £24 a day for 8:30-4:30 which I thought was really decent since I currently pay £59 a day for nursery.

Mammyloveswine · 19/07/2022 08:10

Are there no free holiday clubs were you are? There are council tan ones where I am! It's only 4 days and 10-3 but better than nothing!

TheYearOfSmallThings · 19/07/2022 08:10

DS's school holiday club is £25 a day (8-6, bring a packed lunch). It runs for the first 3 weeks of the summer holiday, then he's going to a friend's mother who is a childminder for another week at £25 a day - she would charge more except the boys will occupy each other and she knows DS(7) is not a hellion.

There are lots of clubs charging £25 or £30 a day, but I notice some of them will only take bookings for a 5 day week.

gogohmm · 19/07/2022 08:11

@Morph22010 Thankfully my council provided provision from 8 and let her sibling come (sen child free, £18 for sibling including bus pick up from my house, nice labour council before the cuts kicked in)

Morph22010 · 19/07/2022 08:12

Mammyloveswine · 19/07/2022 08:10

Are there no free holiday clubs were you are? There are council tan ones where I am! It's only 4 days and 10-3 but better than nothing!

There are some round us but they are only available to children on fsm

Cheerybigbottom · 19/07/2022 08:14

North east, £35 a day and take a packed lunch. And we have to book the whole years holiday clubs in September, they are so busy, or we won't get a space.

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 19/07/2022 08:14

London: £145 for a whole wk- ive put her in 2 wks and still get childcare vouchers to help.
I’ve seen clubs for £20 a day in a park that looked rubbish and ones at £75 a day that seemed ridiculous.
Can we afford it- yes because 1 child, yes because it’s not every wk of the holidays.

CMOTDibbler · 19/07/2022 08:15

When ds was holiday club age I had a spreadsheet of all the things available and then we worked our leave around the best provision. When he was small it was club at a private school which had lots of varied activities on site including swimming and trips, then we did more of a mix and sometimes that meant going further to a club with extra wrap around, or to by the office dh had to go into an hour away. For a few years he had a week at PGL during the summer to cover a week I needed to be at a conference over seas.
I'm afraid covering holiday club and wrap around means your childcare bill doesn't drop dramatically

Morph22010 · 19/07/2022 08:16

gogohmm · 19/07/2022 08:11

@Morph22010 Thankfully my council provided provision from 8 and let her sibling come (sen child free, £18 for sibling including bus pick up from my house, nice labour council before the cuts kicked in)

To be fair we do get some holiday funding from the council about £290 so can use that towards holiday clubs. Last year I paid for a mainstream one at his school which was cheap and then just paid an extra £50 a day for a 1-1. Hes moved up schools now though so nothing suitable as nothing at his school, the Sen ones tend to be more focused on profound needs (which is fair enough) and the mainstream ones although they say they are inclusive I know he wouldn’t cope so it’s not fair putting him through (he’s in special schools in a class of 4 with 3 staff)

TheYearOfSmallThings · 19/07/2022 08:21

Are there no free holiday clubs were you are? There are council tan ones where I am! It's only 4 days and 10-3 but better than nothing!

Actually there are excellent options for FSM children in my borough - they can book two weeks of the same school camps that cost other families £30 per day, at no cost. I've heard you have to be quick but it is a really good deal. The council don't run them, they fund places at existing camps.

KarrotKake · 19/07/2022 08:23

It was the 9-3 opening hours that did for us with holiday clubs. I quit and became a SAHM for 5 years, until covid meant DH could wfh, and manage some time with upper primary kids at home whilst working.

KarrotKake · 19/07/2022 08:34

It was the 9-3 opening hours that did for us with holiday clubs. I quit and became a SAHM for 5 years, until covid meant DH could wfh, and manage some time with upper primary kids at home whilst working.

Shakeitshakeitbaby · 19/07/2022 08:44

My son has significant SEN, nothing suitable available at all here. Social work can get you into a specialised holiday club but it's only 1 day per week for 4.5 hours and its half an hours drive each way. You can pay a private provider £25 per hour in your own home but that's the only other option. It's disgraceful.

Peccary · 19/07/2022 08:45

In theory you can use Tax Free Childcare but very few seem to actually be registered for it

OperaStation · 19/07/2022 08:55

Mally100 · 19/07/2022 08:00

Yanbu, it's extortionate. I'm in Central London, and it's about 220-300 per week.

Are you using tax free childcare?

maddiemookins16mum · 19/07/2022 09:05

We do a month long FREE August holiday club at our Church. The only restriction is you cannot book more than two full weeks. 8.45 to 4pm. Lunch, snacks and cold drinks included. It’s been a Godsend (pun intended) to many families in our town. 4-12 years.

Mally100 · 19/07/2022 09:24

OperaStation · 19/07/2022 08:55

Are you using tax free childcare?

Show quote history

No we don't as we are over the threshold to qualify. I'm a sahp studying PT so fortunate that we don't need it but have enrolled ds for a few days each week to get him socializing.

Mally100 · 19/07/2022 09:25

There's one that I signed him for just a few days and it's 355 for the week ShockShock. It has a waiting list as well so it's quite popular.