Summer Holidays - Holiday clubs

[BlackCatGreyWhiskers]

I keep seeing articles and discussions about whether or not the summer holidays should be shorter because of the challenges of childcare.

I accept childcare is a challenge, for me it’s largely a logistical one - it’s just organising it. Last year my older child was in holiday clubs and younger one nursery. With some annual leave used either end of the holiday. This year my younger one went to a term time only preschool and is too young for clubs so I’m having to use a sitter and pay per the hour, which is expensive.

But next year, they can both go to clubs and the issue will be largely resolved. The clubs finish slightly earlier than after school club but only by 1.5 hours.

Clubs are around £30 per day, per child. So not cheap but equally we’re not paying nursery fees now so 4 weeks (using annual leave for some of the hols) of clubs doesn’t seem too bad.

I know some jobs are more challenging to accommodate than others. IMO what we really need is more flexible employers who understand the constraints for a short period of the year rather than shorter holidays.

Theres loads of clubs near me for school age children - is this not the norm? Genuinely interested. As for me the summer holidays are a challenge, but not an insurmountable one.

Its ok saying the clubs are only 1.5 hours shorter than the after school clubs etc but I can't think of many employers who would be ok with you finishing an hour or 2 earlier every day.

@AngelicInnocent no that’s why I said some flexibility is needed rather than the issue being the holidays. I have a very flexible role and just put my available hours in my diary. I log on briefly in the evenings if necessary. I appreciate I am in the minority re the amount of flex I have.

Clubs round here run 9-3.
Absolutely useless if you are expected in work 8-4. I had to quit work over 4-5 weeks a year of childcare (reduced hours were rejected).

@DongDingBell sorry that’s rubbish. I did actually quit my role last year for similar reasons - I said I can’t get to the office in the hours clubs ran. But I was able to secure another role without issue.

There are clubs here that run 8-4.

This just shows that the provision needs to change or employers. All I keep reading about is that the holidays are too long and schools should solve all parents' problems.

It's not a short period of the year though, 2 weeks at easter, 6 weeks in summer, 2 weeks in October and 2 weeks at Christmas. I don't think you can expect employers to be flexible for almost a quarter of the year.
I'm very lucky we have both sets of grandparents willing to do some childcare and also a very reliable holiday club which is open 7.30-6pm but without this it would be an absolute nightmare

If you have 2 children that need clubs the expense adds up though. Round here they are £38 a day so for 2 for day 4 weeks that’s £1500 just for the summer holidays. I don’t agree the holidays should be shorter though, but I can understand it’s expensive for some people.

Yes that’s what I’m getting at really. The school year should be centered around what’s best for the children and needs of the school. It’s the supporting infrastructure that needs to change to accommodate.

Yes but some should be covered with annual leave from both parents? We tend to cover half the holidays and half with childcare.

I don't actually want the holidays to be made shorter though but it is very difficult for some parents

@middleagedandinarage yes I agree it’s a challenge. Not trying to dispute that.

I don't want shorter holidays my kids need the break.

But the childcare in my area is woefully inadequate. My youngest is at a sports club today it's 10am-2pm and a 25min drive away, which makes my working day quite tricky to arrange. I'm lucky I've got some flexibility. At £35 a day so quite expensive but he's getting some quality coaching.
He does watersports days which are 9am-4pm, and £45 per day. But those can be cancelled at short notice due to weather conditions. Everything else for his age seems to be football camps and he hates football!

My teen is pretty self sufficient now but still needs to be driven places as public transport isn't great. He does get a train to the gym but his golf club isnt accessible by bus and he couldn't carry his clubs there anyway. He goes 5 times a week. He also likes to go to the driving range but it's 20min drive and not on a bus route.

I've taken 3 weeks annual leave this year, dp has taken 2, one of those weeks we overlap for family holiday. That leaves 3 weeks to juggle while we work which hasn't felt too bad. I WFH mostly.

It was actually easier to organise when they were a early primary and we could just send them to out for school care which was open 8am-6pm for £30 a day. They've outgrown that now but not old enough to be left alone all day.

No I agree it’s not cheap but I suppose we view it as we were paying £1200 pcm nursery so if you spread those coats they’re more palatable. Also can use tax free childcare.

I think the issue is that a lot of people on here live "very rurally" and that doesn't come with good childcare provision. We are in London and there's loads - 8-6, take from 4. Some even take from 3.

The other issue is that a lot seem to have married men who don't pull their weight. If you have two annual leave allowances, it isn't all that difficult to cover. (Of course appreciate some are single parents)

Loads round here. I also think people get confused between clubs that are intended to give kids something to do, vs childcare, which is available 8-6. Does it require some effort? Yes, but I'd rather sort out this than deal with nursery fees!

I can afford childcare in the holidays but my 7 year old DC won't go as they don't know anyone there. None of their friends go as they don't need it & they would be thoroughly miserable if I forced them to go. And I would have to force them - they would be crying all the way there, crying whilst there & absolutely hate every second of it. Siblings are adults so they are working so they have no one to go with.

They also loose so much of their routine & learning over the 6 weeks that when they start again in September they will have lost the progress they made over June & July.

We juggle it without clubs but we can both wfh when necessary but there will be far too much screen time than I'm happy with but needs must.

@QuartzIlikeit that’s a shame and sounds challenging. My eldest will just walk into any setting and make friends - to be fair I probably take for granted that he is so confident. My younger child won’t, but he’ll have the advantage of being with his brother. I’ve found a club for them both next week so hopefully he goes in without a fuss.

holiday clubs are in high demand where we live (a London borough) and ive even had a ‘friend’ (thought we got on well but clearly not) have a go at me as I’m a sahm and booked my ds a couple of clubs for the holidays and when she left it too late and couldn’t get a space she had a go at me for taking up places and said I should give it up for a working parent (ie her)

I don't live near a city.. there are no clubs! You might find a day or 2 in the entire summer holidays

I think it depends where you are, we’re semi rural and so it’s a case of finding extra hours to add to your commute each day to get kids to things further out or scramble for a few of the local clubs.

I’m self employed and it’s not an issue for me to juggle in the summer and finish my work in the evenings etc but my sons friends parents are really struggling because where we are clubs seem to run hours short of a “full day” so 9-3 or timings for full days can be like 10:30-5 (when most need to be in work or logged on before 9am). Spaces go quickly and the “good ones” get booked up fast. Most are still paying nursery fees for younger siblings alongside having to find extra money for 4+ weeks over summer for the school age child so they see it as a big financial hit alongside wanted to actually spend time as a family with days out or going away. Childminders aren’t really a thing where we are either; there’s two I can think of in our villages but they don’t have holiday club availability as they are full with their year round kids. I do agree that employers need to offer more flexibility where they can, but also I have friends whose jobs would just never facilitate flexible hours. It’s just impossible.

Surprised to hear at the lack of clubs. I am moving to a different county next year and it’s just occurred to me I need to check the provision of holiday clubs there as it might be that I’m taking it for granted!

Dp and I both work (and without family to help) so have relied on annual leave and holiday clubs BUT childcare isn't the reason I think the 6 week summer hol should be broken up into shorter chunks.

Kids fall behind over the 6 weeks
The first half of Sept term is spent catching up
Its a financial struggle for an increasing number of families
SEN children have little support outside their families

The whole 'summer experience' is very, very mixed. For some children it may well be all lovely 'making memories' but for others its an 'experience' they would be better off without.

All in all its divisive, unfair and doesn't reflect the society we have today.

Children who have lovely home lives will still have lovely experiences over two or three week breaks. But it could make a massive difference to the children who most need help.

This is not (I repeat it is not) a teacher bashing post. The teachers at dd's school do a fantastic job under difficult circumstances.
But the 6 week break simply isn't in children's best interests. We can't pretend it is.

@Decisionsdecisions1 thank you. I agree that not all children will have the same summer and think if kids are just in clubs it won’t be the refreshing break and family time it’s purported to be. I think my kids have a good mix of relaxing at home, family and clubs etc but know not all children have the same.

For some children with SEN I know the break in routine can be a real factor too.

No but some will accept picking up a couple of hours after the kids are in bed, for example, or for children older than the OP’s, maybe to do the last couple of hours with them in the house after pick up.

Exactly! And I noticed a ‘we’ I think, unless I am wrong. So a lot easier when there are two of you with annual leave to use, across the year. Then clubs etc don’t need to be used as much.
No not everyone has lots of choice near by.
For example the actual school one is 10-3pm 🤷🏻‍♀️ I mean how does that work. So most boycotted it and went elsewhere.
But few days here and few days there, plus that’s if you get a space.
Okay if you receive benefits or I thought even if you don’t, that there was help towards costs. But again you have to pay up front I was told, then they pay it back.
I know people say well what did we do before this help. But people didn’t work the same.
Two parent families could have one not in work or part time.
Kids obviously went somewhere, but no, we didn’t have all this after school and holiday clubs. So clearly something has changed.