Summer holiday clubs costs

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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?

But that's the point, they won't be their friends most likely.

Here, there is one club that covers 30 Square metres and so the children come from all ages and schools. Unlikely that any friend would be attending.

Most clubs round here are school hours or worse 10-2 8.45/9-3/3.15 they are £10-£18 per day. None take tax free childcare

Only all day provision which does do 8-6 is £23.50 a day and they take tax free childcare.

Luckily only need 3 days paid cover this year

Whereas here, the children will play with neighbours and family. The absolute majority are not in summer clubs. And tbh, I think that's better for them. Many go off on scout/cubs/brownie/guide camps for a week. To me, that would preferable as the children have spent the year together every week.

So that really only leaves 2 weeks if the parents have 2 weeks of annual leave....

Many have similar roles to me and use their flexi on top of annual leave as well.

And tbh, I think that's better for them.

I totally agree if the neighbour kids are present and available. Unfortunately you just can't rely on that in London.

Unlikely that any friend would be attending.

You fix up with the parents in advance and book together.

Dd5 is doing 2 clubs. One at her school 9/3 for £20 and i do packed lunch

You can add breakfast 8:9 for £5 and 3/5 for £7.50 extra so 8/5 would be £32.50 daily

she is also doing mega clubs - £39 a day 9-4/5 but more you book the cheaper is it and they do a week for £165 so £33 a day. You can add breakfast and late stay for £8 so £40 a day 8/6

www.megacamps.net/prices.php

And like I said, around here, majority of parents are either off or juggling with friends and family. So you wouldn't get someone volunteering to join up just because it would mean your child had a friend there.

How many times has this worked for you? How many times have you sent your child in blind, knowing noone?

Tho she is going with 3/4 from her Class so that helps

How many times has this worked for you? How many times have you sent your child in blind, knowing noone?

Never - he has lots of friends and their parents work. In summer 2020 I got him the last place in one of the very few camps that opened, and he was fine going on his own, but when we got there he knew two of the kids in his pod.

My son goes to holiday clubs where he doesn't know anyone before hand and different kids attend different days. He enjoys them still.

Feeling verynfortunate inlike in a very cheap area.
Our local football club (league 1) has a community trust and they run the pe provisions for a lotnofnthe schools. They offer a multi activity club 9-4:30 at various school (my kids school is one of them) or the training ground. It's £10 a day, take pack lunch. £45 for 5 days. Mine go there 2 days a week, I have a mid week day off and the other 2 days we alternate annual leave, occasiona grandparents or SIL, or final option briding them to be very very quiet while one of us wfh (lots of snacks, tablets and new colouring book!)

There's also a childcare setting which has a breakfast / aftershool/ holiday club alongside the nursery and pre school that's 8-6pm £28 take a pack lunch but they provide snacks and a light meal at around 6pm (usually a small portion of pasta). They take childcare vouchers/ tax free funding.
The local private school also has a holiday club. I think that's about £36 a day 8-6 and includes all meals.
The council also runs clubs at the council run gym 9-3 free of charge for those on FSM.

Typos galore
My phone keyboard has a lovely crack running across ot

Enjoys them or knows he has to make the best of it? There is a difference when they know they have no choice.

On a different note, do parents using these for the majority of the holduays not ever feel guilt that effectively their children never get to just be, to be at home and enjoy down time at home? I Imagine many literally go back to back school, holiday clubs family holiday and back to school... That is, imo, quite sad for them. As being able to just be or not do anything or play with their toys etc is also so important.

Dd5 is booked into 2 days a week so she has me for 3 other days plus weekend

i work nights so have to get some sleep. Last school summer holidays nearly killed me working and zero daytime sleep

so she has plenty of time at home. Play with toys. Have friends over. We go on trips etx

but if I worked days and she had to go 4/5 times a week then so be it. Same with many on here.

we don’t all have grandparents about for childcare and making parents feel guilty about sending their child as they work isn’t very nice

Genuinely enjoys it. Asks to go the next holiday before we've even mentioned holiday club or taking leave etc. They do have a choice.

And no I don't feel guilt. If they didn't enjoy it I might or if there was no choice, but my kids prefer being out and about.

No, I don't feel guilty - my son has a great life. I don't think many parents are using them for the majority of the holidays anyway - if two parents, it's usually more like 3 weeks off together (family holiday plus Christmas), 3 weeks off separately, so 9 weeks at home, 4 at holiday club

I don't think most people use them for the whole holiday though? Not the summer one anyway 6 x 5 days. We've never done all days all holiday, usually 3 days at each half term, Xmas and Easter. She's doing 6 weeks of 3 days this summer, which still leaves plenty of time for some family days out, downtime at home and playing at the local park.

My Mum tries to guilt trip me each holiday, makes it sound like I'm sending DD up chimneys or down the mines! But DD really enjoys it - we showed her the activity list and she helped choose which days she wants to go.

I did stay at home during holidays almost all the time as a kid - we'd visit some deadly boring elderly relatives every week (have to sit silently and not interrupt) have a week's family holiday and otherwise spend the whole time reading and arguing with my brother. I think DD gets a much better set up!

My mum tries to guilt me about it too - which I find ridiculous given that I used to sit in the stockroom at her workplace for most of the holidays with some books/colouring

Our plan would be to use it for two or three weeks during the summer. Hard to tell at this point whether he will find it too tiring during half terms. Am guessing that people dont use the Xmas ones. I can foresee that he ends up having to go on his own but might try to figure out how best to coordinate with some of the people from his new school

I don't think there are Xmas ones really - I haven't seen any

An unkind comment. Not everyone has grandparents to help out, or lives somewhere idyllic with lots of children around to play out with (while the parents don’t seem to need holiday childcare).

Plus, I doubt there are many parents who send their children five days a week for 6 weeks. My daughter will have three weeks at holiday club, one week at home with me, one week with DH, and one week where we’re both off work. We’ll have a few day trips out, but she’ll have plenty of time at home to potter about and play with her toys.

My kids will do 3 weeks and absolutely love it. I get berated every day for collecting them too early, whatever time I pitch up! Loads of their friends go and it's kiddie heaven. Ignore silly, judgemental comments.

Depends on the child- my4yr old DD went in April, didnt know anyone, didnt even know the school grounds and she thrived. We were in a park a couple of months ago and this child screams her name and runs up and hugs her- turns out they met in camp. My child is very sociable and runs off to make friends wherever she is- maybe if I had a more introverted child i'd be concerned.

This summer hols my daughter will do 2 separate weeks in camp, 1 week we go away and then the rest of time she will be at home. My neighbours daughter is home for the full 6 weeks with her parents wfh- no siblings. I know which I would rather as a young child.

Both areas we've lived in had Xmas holiday clubs. They usually ran for the days between school breaking up and Xmas Eve - so 2021 DD had a 2 weeks and one day off school, the first week in hol club. They don't tend to open between Xmas and NY so you may find you need to use leave then to cover it.

We also found with INSET days that there's no childcare available but they're really good for a termtime day out as destinations tend to be cheaper and quieter. So we prioritise annual leave for INSET days and fun days out, with more time in hol club during the actual school holidays.

Is he already in childcare? It was noticeable in Reception year that the kids who'd been in private childcare (ie long day of 8am-6pm) were much less tired by starting school than the others, even if they'd been to school preschool. Mine had done three long days a week at nursery until the day before she started school, and was most miffed at how short the school day is .

She also found school holidays very puzzling and was most upset the first half term as she thought school closed meant another lockdown. Her nursery had only closed on bank holidays.

I was worried about her being tired the first half term of Reception so only put her into hol club for two days (there were four days affected as also an inset day attached to half term so I took two days leave). That seemed to work well as she had plenty of downtime (10 days of half term including the weekend and inset day) and 2 days of fun at hol club.