Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Is there a solution I could raise with work, to deal with this childcare issue? Term time only nursery

32 replies

idesp · 07/09/2023 12:57

I’m a single/lone parent. I would like my ds to go to a private school nursery in December (he’s 18 months). However, the nursery only runs in term time. I don’t have grandparents to help.

What do people do in this situation? I know the obvious thing is send him to a nursery that runs all year etc etc. But if yours goes to a term time only nursery, how do you make it work?

OP posts:
sunflowerdaisyrose · 07/09/2023 13:01

I used my other child's childminder in the holidays for the older one too. Some childminders might have some term time only children so willing to take a holiday only one?

Nevermind31 · 07/09/2023 13:03

Either you agree with work a working pattern where you only work term time (possibly not very doable or popular depending on your role), you look for a job that is term time only, you check if any childminders are available over the holidays, get a nanny, try to make do with annual leave, try to take unpaid parental leave, look for a year round nursery.
holiday clubs do not take children not yet in Reception

CuteCillian · 07/09/2023 13:03

We use a combination of a childminder and holiday clubs.

Hufflepods · 07/09/2023 13:04

I would like my ds to go to a private school nursery in December However, the nursery only runs in term time.
What do people do in this situation?

They don't use term time childcare. Surely that is pretty obvious?
You either use a full time nursery if you work full time hours, or you use a childminder during the non nursery period, but that could be quite unsettling for a young child.

MindatWork · 07/09/2023 13:05

I think it only works if your job is term-time only or your employee is willing to have some flexibility over your hours.

The parents I know who send their child to term-time only nursery/preschool either work term-time hours only, they don’t work and are doing it for socialisation or they use grandparents/childminders to fill the gap.

Is your job one that would work as a term time only role?

Tohaveandtohold · 07/09/2023 13:06

If you don’t work term time only and have no help, you can’t use a term time only preschool except you have a childminder for the school holidays only as some are flexible because they may have some term time only children and yours can come during the holiday and still within their ratio.
There is also a nursery around me that does holiday clubs for children, those under 5 pay the same daily fee but they take some children just for the holidays to replace their term time only children as well

NannyR · 07/09/2023 13:08

Some private school nurseries have wrap around care and holiday clubs to provide year round, full time care like private day nurseries.

MaggieFS · 07/09/2023 13:08

A full time nursery would be least disruptive for the child, but the options are as pp have said: childminder or holiday clubs. If it's a private school nursery do they offer a holiday club?

That's said, I can only think of one FT working mum windows this, the rest of us use FT nursery.

Voraxaraptor · 07/09/2023 13:08

no one really uses a term time nursery in your situation, so you aren’t going to find an obvious solution to ‘making it work’

an option would be to approach a childminder who takes term time only children and to see if she’ll consider you for a holiday only slot

term time nursery nursery is ‘early years education’ really. People
put their kids in for learning and socialisation, not because they have to. It’s not just childcare.

Thehop · 07/09/2023 13:09

Childminder? I release places in the holidays when my tto children aren't here

yogasaurus · 07/09/2023 13:09

Do you mean a nursery which is part of a private school? They can be off around 22 weeks a year and the dates won’t co-incide with many holidays clubs, even when they are older.

I have a Nanny for my working days

AromanticSpices · 07/09/2023 13:09

It's pretty much the same as when they go to school - you take all your annual leave, unpaid leave, ask friends and pay for holiday club or childminders. It sucks really.

I did year-round nursery when I was working and term-time only (pt) when I was on mat leave - different children.

KeepTheTempo · 07/09/2023 13:09

You can of course talk to work, but generally the solution here is not going to be a work one.

My DCs went to a term-only nursery, and the only parents able to take all holidays off either worked in the education sector or long term civil service/nhs. The rest of us relied on a patchwork of:

  • Annual leave - be sure to 'buy' extra if it's an option
  • Paid holiday clubs - usually a few around that take 4 year olds but for 3 year olds they are rare and often only half day. It can just about work if you are able to work from home and rely a bit on TV, or they are good if a grandparent/relative could do a half day but not manage a full one
  • Sharing with friends - you take annual leave and both kids one day, she does the next
  • Family and friends - be kind to yourself, you've got a much bigger challenge than a 2 parent family or even an involved coparent, because they could have 50 days of paid leave between them while you have 20-25. Do you have other family around who could help?
fairyfluf · 07/09/2023 13:09

Your only solutions are to find a childcare provider who will take your child in the holidays or find a job that is term time only.

cadburyegg · 07/09/2023 13:10

I'm a single parent and my ds2 went to a term time only preschool, because it was significantly cheaper than a private nursery, and convenient because it was in the same place as ds1's school. I could only make it work because I worked 3 days a week at the time and my mum helped in the holidays plus I took annual leave.

Now I work full time, hypothetically if I was to have another baby now then it would have to go to nursery that operates all year round.

KeepTheTempo · 07/09/2023 13:13

AromanticSpices · 07/09/2023 13:09

It's pretty much the same as when they go to school - you take all your annual leave, unpaid leave, ask friends and pay for holiday club or childminders. It sucks really.

I did year-round nursery when I was working and term-time only (pt) when I was on mat leave - different children.

To reassure OP - it is (somewhat) easier when they go to school though, because there are so many more holiday clubs available, and as they get older and need less intense care it's easier to share playdates with friends, go to relatives or find a friendly local teenage to babysit for the day.

SparkyBlue · 07/09/2023 13:13

It sounds like it will be an awful hassle for you. You could be often left trying to find alternative childcare. I think you would be crazy not to look for an alternative full time place elsewhere

ghostyslovesheets · 07/09/2023 13:13

Single parent of three here - I’m afraid the solution is to find providers that aren’t term time only or some to cover the holidays

you are entitled to ask work but they don’t have to agree and if they did it a huge pay cut

mindutopia · 07/09/2023 13:16

It will be the same as during school, so you'll have to figure it out eventually. You either buy in extra childcare during the school holidays (childminder or shared childcare with other parents in the same boat) or you take annual leave/unpaid leave/TTO contract. It will be more tricky to use leave if you are a lone parent. Dh and I manage it just fine with some holiday club (ours are primary school age now), but there's two of us and we both have a lot of flexibility.

BendingSpoons · 07/09/2023 13:17

You could discuss annualised hours at work. I have a colleague who builds hours in term time to be off most of the holidays. She is part time though. Would be tricky if full time. You can also request parental leave. I think it is up to 4 weeks per year but there is a cap on total weeks over childhood.

Ask the nursery if they run any holiday clubs, although this is unlikely at 2.

Investigate other options e.g. childminders, but this may be quite stressful.

mindutopia · 07/09/2023 13:18

I truly cannot say enough about the benefits of using all year round care at that age though. It would have to be a truly special nursery to have me dealing with the hassle of sorting out holiday care. It is still a hassle when they are school age, but you have a lot more childcare options at that stage. We used a year round nursery and it did make life hugely easier. It doesn't mean it's impossible. But it would be for a very special scenario only.

Upanddownthemerrygoround · 07/09/2023 13:18

The best childcare any of my children have been to was term time only… but, I could only do it one day a week because there were 13 weeks of the year I couldn’t cover. You can’t use it unless you have a term time employment contract (and can afford to be on it too).

elliejjtiny · 07/09/2023 13:19

When I wanted childcare I used an all year round nursery. When I wanted an educational setting for my toddler who would have the same days off as his older brother then I chose a term time nursery.

fairyfluf · 07/09/2023 13:19

Also to add, and sorry for being a downer, but your work place does not have to give you the unpaid parental leave on the dates you ask for.

PuttingDownRoots · 07/09/2023 13:20

Is there a particular reason why you want to use that nursery?