If you work FT, where do your 11/12 year olds go during school hols?

[whereiscaroline]

Hi all,

I'm trying to work out what people do with their older children during school holidays if you work FT. A lot of the clubs seem to stop taking them at the end of year 6. The ones that do, my son doesn't want to go to anyway as they are full of much younger children and a bit babyish.

What did/do you do with your year 6 and 7 children during school holidays when you can't get time off please?

They went to the kids club until the Easter of year six.

Since then I’ve used a mix of options.

My mum will come over for the day.
I pay an older teen to spend the day with them (they really liked this one)
I sent them on courses & camps.
Depending on the day at work, I took them in with me for half the day, then ran them home, had lunch with them & left them for the afternoon.
Childcare swap with a friend.
DH took time off, or I did.

They are now 12 & 14, so I can leave them at home. I might pop up for lunch. I’m lucky to live a mile from work though. My 8yo still either goes to Kids Club, or my mum/my sister.

It is a difficult age to arrange childcare for, but it does get better quite quickly.

They stayed home.

It's the next step in growing up.

Same here sofa bitch.

Mine stayed home too.

Our local sporty holiday clubs have an option for the older kids to help coach the younger ones. I think it is a brilliant idea and is quite a popular choice. Teaches them responsibility and looks good in their future CV.

Stayed home.

It's a tough age. I have one in year 6 and one in year 8.

My oldest would happily stay at home all day but it still feels too long to leave her. Year 6 already does not like to be left but we are working on it.

Next holidays we will probably split so I'll do a morning in the office then work from home PM.

PGL - they're perfectly happy to go. Look out for the BOGOF offers.

Thanks autumnboys, the older teen may be a good idea.

I should probably have said in my original post, he has suspected ADHD and possible PDA/ODD and we're currently trying to get a diagnosis. He is just not mature enough at this stage to be left for a whole day... Probably not even for half a day.

A mixture of leave (some unpaid), GPs and holiday clubs.

Has anyone ever used the unpaid formal parental leave for school holidays? I'm
not sure if it's really meant for just covering holidays or if that's exactly the sort of thing that it's meant for....

Two weeks off by parents, a weeks watersports course, then the rest a mash up of different clubs - cricket, drama, art, thing run by the youth club. Am trying to persuade him to do a weeks PGL, but he's not keen

Yes - I've used unpaid parental leave to cover bits of the school holidays (usually half terms - when there is less childcare available).

OP yes that is exactly what unpaid leave is for. You are entitled to 4 weeks per year (and your DH too so can be split) until they are 18

PGL looks brilliant, going to try an introductory course for him there at Easter. Thanks for the recommendation. And will test the water with work re parental leave... not sure how they'd be about it tbh.

Yes unpaid parental leave, also have used PGL (you can use childcare vouchers for it

They have to have a rock solid reason not to approve parental leave.

I have also just looked at PGL and agree it looks great! DS is only Y4 but has already done residential with the cubs, he would love it!

Barracudas is great - depends where you are in the country. Also have a look at ATE superweeks for weeks away; they look after the children very well and they have a great time.

We will have this problem too (currently yr 6 and holiday things we currently do stop at 12 yrs) so thank you for starting thread. I can’t always get leave during holidays as it’s a popular time. He’s generally fine on his own but never done whole days for weeks at a time. Hadn’t thought of residential things like Pgl. Also has cousins with one parent who doesn’t work so may be packed off there for a week if uncles/ aunties willing.

Yes my DH takes a week or two of unpaid parental leave every year to look after DCs during holidays and I then rearrange my work days (I’m 4 days a week) to work a full week and take more time off when he is at work. This arrangement should get us through the next 5 years or so until they are both old enough to be left for a full day. We do the rest by using scout camp for a week for the older one + holiday club that week for the younger one and by only taking 2 weeks off at the same time every year.

King Camps do full day sports activities for teens in some areas.

I use the parental leave. You can take a max of 4 weeks unpaid leave per child a year (up to a total of 18 weeks). Older teens I leave at home. Little one I also use kids club at school - they usually run a few days sports club.

I'm a sahm Mum now but in my old job used up some of the unpaid parental leave.

Some colleagues negotiated the whole of august off unpaid in thejr contract, was doable because it was always a quiet month.

This'll be my problem soon... if I'm still in the same job with the same boss I will ask to wfh every afternoon, from 2pm when possible. We can also buy 5 days additional leave so I'll do that too.