Childcare for 11 year olds

[clare21]

After an 18 month gap I am heading back to work. Our twins have just started secondary school. During term time I'll be back when they get home, but I am not sure what to do about holidays. They're too young to spend whole days solo. We'd rather avoid the au pair route having found that a bit hit and miss. They've done sport weeks and stuff like that, but that still leaves me with Christmas and the bulk of the summer. What to do?

Swaps with other families in the same position so you each choose a week or two with both sets of kids?
Some agencies do holiday only nannies I believe (I saw one that offered childcare and tuition)
Work from home as much as poss while they are off
Any willing relatives?
Holiday camps
Taking holiday at separate times to your partner, so you can both cover different weeks?

as a childminder i have had 11 year olds in the school holidays as do many minders. Its not going to be cheap as you have two, but they are over 8 so don't count in the numbers for a minder so you might be able to negotiate a deal. I have had children that get to that in between age where they need caring for but might be ok on their own and we have done it gradually -so maybe one day with a friend, 3 days with me, one day at home on own, then gradually worked up to being on their own more as they became more capable etc. but i was always on standby if mum changed her mind.

Hi,

We have a childminder for our 11 year old (who has just started secondary school). He gets a bus back from school and one of us is usually back for when he gets home at around 4.20pm. If we are going to be later in he walks to the her house from the bus (not far). Not had to do this often though. He has a mobile phone.

We also have a 7 year old so both children go to the same childminder in the holidays (although she takes 4 weeks of the school holidays off as annual leave, always has Christmas week and that is a nightmare for us as we both have jobs that carry on during Christmas week).
We have very few of the school hols off and that can cause problems too.
Best bet is to get a childminder and use sports holiday schemes so it gives them a mix of things. It is an awkward age - I know too well (my eldest is starting to not want to go to the childminder but he is too young to be left).

Watch out for Christmas week though as a lot of childminders take this week off and, certainly where I live, all nurseries/holiday schemes are shut too! They seem to think everyone can have Christmas week off...not the case.