To be worn out by the mismatch between annual leave & school provision

[Yellowlegobrick]

25 days. Like most people i get 25 days annual leave.

School holidays plus inset days needs 65 days cover.

There are sod all good options to cover it locally. There'll be a football camp 20 mins away for 3 days 9 - 2.30, a forest school doing an odd week 9-3. The bigger camps are massively oversubscribed, don't run for the whole holiday and you sometimes can't get a place.

Aibu to think there needs to be a formalised, centrally managed system to acknowledge the gap and provide better coverage?

Even if DH take all our annual leave separately, we can't cover it all, especially not when we lose at least a couple of days each per year of annual leave covering days the children are ill.

Its a constant annual stress, i find myself filled with dread when the letter comes from school: end of term, finish after lunch at 1.15.... there goes another half day 🙁

It’s not up to your employer to worry about your kids, and more than it’s a school’s job to childmind

Which leaves some rather stark solutions available, not least (in the most extreme cases) downright neglect, which often leads to cries of ‘something has to be done!’

@Yellowlegobrick sounds like you could do with finding a childminder who can cover things like half day finishes, TD days, strikes and school holidays.

It sounds easy but it isn’t.

Childcare around here is pretty dire. We had two local nurseries close very suddenly which our increasing pressure on all the other nurseries and childminders and now there are long waiting lists. Ad hoc days here and there are notoriously difficult to manage. The other problem is the quality of the childcare you do find, it is something on my mind as my eldest starts school in a couple of years and what we decide to do will decide what hours I request after my maternity leave, and I know some wraparound care isn’t brilliant.

It's often harder to find a childminder to cover for older but still primary age children than it is to find full-time care for pre-schoolers.

Part of the issue is childcare is so poorly paid, underfunded, and people don't want to pay for it.

We have a lot of choice locally that I know we are lucky to have, however places are going under, closing as they can't cover costs, get staff, etc. People moan about paying £40 for a day 830-5, the hourly rate is not bad.

School buildings need work doing on them, that needs time to do that.

It’s not up to your employer to worry about your kids, and more than it’s a school’s job to childmind.

No, of course it isn't but maybe the government could start with making sure there are provisions for holiday childcare in the areas where childcare providers never reopened after covid.

YANBU. We do not have holiday clubs here

Exactly.

It is society's job to ensure a functional social structure in which it is possible for women to not be disadvantaged and participate in the economy and have financial independence. And it is also society's job to ensure that children have equality of opportunity so we do not squander their talents and they can flourish and reach their potential.

Mature societies realise this. This is the mind of thing that we pay tax for because it is a public good, for the benefit of the whole of society, and more than pays for itself in the long run because you will have less welfare dependency, a healthier and more highly skilled and qualified workforce for the future and higher productivity to pay for your pension and healthcare when you are old.

This myopic "everyone for themselves" mentality is just shooting yourself in the foot. We are paying the highest tax burden in 70 years and this is exactly the type of thing that it should have been spent on.

The problem with younger kids is they don't understand that you're meant to be working - so if they're primary age you'll likely do a half-arsed job at work.
That's my experience with team members, anyway - several of them who think WFH means they can just play with their kids and ignore their job.

But why are you so shocked? School holidays have been the same since I was at school. It's not like they've suddenly changed.
I was SAHM with eldest and worked term time only when second was old enough to go to school. I'm considering changing jobs next summer when youngest starts at primary school.
Do you have friends or family you can share childcare with (which only really works if you work part time) or older cousins that would babysit for some extra money?
I'm surprised more schools don't do holiday club, as all the ones local to me do. Although I'm not sure how much they cost.

But why are you so shocked? School holidays have been the same since I was at school. It's not like they've suddenly changed.

The holidays haven't but there used to be council run play schemes which used to be held at local primary schools. They were easy to access and cheap.

Yanbu op.

It's ridiculously difficult. 13 weeks of school holidays + 5 inset days. Time off for them being sick. Time off for the never ending school events. We've had at least 5 or 6 throughout the year.

Taking all annual leave separately from your spouse (if you even have one) is a miserable way to live.

Holiday clubs are 9-3, expensive, and often children don't want to go.

The holidays haven’t changed but what’s deemed acceptable definitely has. I know I was going home to an empty house and spending days alone at home which just would not be acceptable now - rightly so but if we as a society agree nine year olds shouldn’t be home alone or wandering the streets we do need to think about how to manage holidays.

Then COVID has meant a lot of things closed and never started again. Plus, changes to the benefit system in the last six/seven years or so mean that lone parents are expected to work when their child starts school.

Imo we don’t get enough annual leave , the minimum by law needs increasing . I get 28 days including bank holidays so that’s 20 days plus bh . 20 whole days to take. By the time you’ve took 1 week holiday plus a couple of days at Christmas a couple of days for appointments there is a handful of days to take for the school holidays . It’s a absolute nightmare but im used to the juggling act and l’ve learnt to be organised.
my generation are probably the 1st generation where we have worked since school / college/ uni apart from maternity leave and that’s why so many of us out burnt out . My parents generation although did work they would stop when married or starting a family then maybe start again when children at primary school age or even older then it wasn’t always full time .
I get it won’t be popular but the school year is outdated and needs reforming so that parents can work, that or better annual leave or help with childcare.
yes some people manage but only just and then it’s circumstances or if fortunate to have good wrap around care .

But why are you so shocked? School holidays have been the same since I was at school. It's not like they've suddenly changed

School Holidays are the same but holiday club provision isn't. In the 80s and 90s we all piled into the local community centre or church for Summer Playgroup.

Then in the 00s and 10s there were an abundance of holiday clubs and activites. I remember the school we chose in 2013 had arts and crafts week, sports week, music week and forestry school week. All run by private providers at the school in August. It was affordable too.

Since Covid everything has been cancelled and hasn't restarted. The nearest holiday activity club to me is sailing. 30 miles away (60 mile round trip) and is £50 a day! 😂

I don't think that the standard holiday allowance is enough even if you don't have childcare to arrange!

I work term time only, I am incredibly lucky (although it's obviously reflected in my earnings.) I have no idea how people manage to cover all the holidays. We personally wouldn't be able to- if I worked in my job full time all year round I'd get 20 days plus bank holidays. 3 of those days have to be used over Christmas, and I wouldn't be able to use all of the remainder during school holidays as other colleagues with children would also need some time off. OH gets 26 days plus bank holidays. Both sets of grandparents still work full time so could only help with the odd day.

There are no holiday clubs locally during half terms, only in the summer holidays. Even then it tends to be things like a 3 day tennis club 9-3. Or a one week football club mornings only. Certainly not any sort of useful childcare provision.

Have you had a look at local childminders op? I'm a childminder and I'm open at least half of all school holidays.

It’s a while since mine were primary school age but this was a major factor in my decision to become a childminder. Did that for 10 years until kids were older teens and couldn’t stand the noise anymore.

Ooooh, I am going to be crucified for this……when making the choice to have children, like making the choice to have say, a puppy! You need to consider what will happen to this being when you are needing to work full-time. Sometimes, you will need to be the parent to that child… what!!! Really!! Yes, it is really a thing that others are not responsible for the care of your child/ren constantly! Who thought!!! It is hideous that cost of living means working all the time, but guaranteed childcare is only available during term time. The rest of the time is up to us! And we know this when we have children, so yes, I think YABU!

Can you really think of nothing that has happened between this years reception aged childrens births and now that may have put the best laid plans awry?

This cohort was born between September 2017 and august 2018. Can you think of anything that may have altered wraparound care provision and/or mean it’s hard to work part time?

Still I think many of you must have had bad luck as all our local holiday clubs have reopened. I have a CM friend and she says it's always quiet in the holidays so she takes in older children on a non term time basis, so maybe another option.
A few nurseries are offering holiday club for older children although that might only be for children who previously attended nursery.
Otherwise it's a case of splitting AL with partner, if you have one and begging family or friends for help. My mum used to have my cousins every holiday when we were young but it's harder now as most families have both parents working.
It's the main reason why I've started looking for term time work now so hopefully it's in place by next September.
Rubbish I have to leave current job as I do like it but part of the sacrifice you make as a parent.

It's so stressful. I take 1 day off a week, husband does the same, the other 3 days we use holiday clubs. One week for a family holiday which we usually do may half term or Easter to utilise the Bank Holidays. It's a tough juggling act.

It’s a nightmare but very thankful our breakfast club/after school care does a summer club.
I get 33 days leave and DH only 20 plus the public holidays. We get one week a year all of us together

I agree
Imagine having a kiddo with SEN and no childcare at all in the holidays. It’s so tough to manage

Exactly.