If your DC go to private school, how do you arrange childcare in the long school holidays?

[MandMand]

If both parents work, its hard enough to cover childcare during the ordinary state school holidays, but how on earth do you cope with the longer holidays at private schools?

If both parents need to work full time all year round in order to pay the school fees, what on earth do you do when your children then have three or four weeks off at Christmas and Easter, and two months off in the summer? Do you end up having to find even more money to pay for holiday camps/activity weeks etc?

I'd be interesting in any estimates of how much to budget for longer holiday childcare on top of school fees, but I suspect this may be a bit like asking how long is a piece of string ....

Most holiday clubs are based around state schools so we use them when we can and then book the time off when the state schools are still in school. I think you're looking at approx £25 - £30 per day of holiday club (8 - 6).

DS's private school doesn't offer proper holiday cover - it's just the odd week here and there.

Don't tell me they come home in the holidays? What are we paying for?

Ds attends a variety of holiday camps. They work out as expensive as the amount I pay each month in school fees.

Ds's new school has ridiculously long holidays and offers holiday clubs for the weeks that are outside normal holidays. I'm not overly happy that half term is a week before main half term and he has to return to school half way through the normal half term week (previous school had two weeks for this half term which worked well as we could go on cheap foreign holidays).

Pretty much all the clubs where we are work out at £40 per day for 8-6. £30 if you can do 9-4.30.

Fortunatley DS's prep school over a Holiday club for pupils and their friends - every holiday, excluding Christmas week. Quite good value really at £25 per day for a good range of activities.

I work in a school, so it's ideal for me - even so DS attends a variety of holiday clubs both at his current school and future school, which tend to be geared around the sports he enjoys.

Mine goes to a holiday club which takes place inside his school. It is run privately, but in line with the local private school holidays. There are several of them in the area for about £30 per day.

Ds's school runs holiday club 8-6 for 6 weeks in the summer, week at each half term, week at Christmas and 2 weeks at Easter - £25 a day. There is also football camp (10-3, £40 for 3 days) and externally run stuff which is also 10-3.

The wrap around care and reliable holiday care are why ds is at private school tbh - all state schools local to us would require huge amounts of juggling.

DD's only has 2 weeks extra holiday.

School runs a summer school for most of summer hols. She attends other holiday care eg at dance school in other holidays.

I take annual leave and we go away the 2 weeks she is off and state are still in (cheaper to go away then)

We save salary sacrifice vouchers (compushare) to pay for holiday care - I don't need to use childcare term times so can do this.

At the risk of offending (I am grumpy today). Did any of you actually want children? Why did you have them to put them into wrap around care? Do you ever see your children?

I look forward to the holidays so I can have time with my DW and DS. I want to see my boy grow up, not find out one day I was busy working when he needed me and then he is grown and gone.

To answer the question - my own school run clubs to give those children who do not have homes or parents to be somewhere safe. The staff are paid a pittence to run them (I doubt you would realise this). Some staff will do anything for money. I personally will not. I have never been asked
(fortunately as I guess they know I would refuse).

Never mind ..... half term begins the end of next week and I am off to spend time with my family. Have a good day.

Not terribly helpful Jabed I must say

Not helpful? I told the OP what happened to children in my independent school when parents wanted wrap around care including holidays.
I would have thought that as helpful as any reply here.

I just wondered why so many MNers seem to have children and then require someone else to look after them? Genuine question.

jabed go and start a thread in AIBU about it then. See what answers you get.

I would imagine of you can afford private education, then you can afford extra childcare

Just saying....

Hope nobody minds me asking but what is the thinking behind private schools having longer holidays than state?

"I just wondered why so many MNers seem to have children and then require someone else to look after them? Genuine question."

So that they can afford to pay the private school fees that you, among others, consider a basic necessity of life?

Jabed- perhaps because they need to work and most jobs don't give you 13 weeks holiday a year?

Longer holidays presumably because the parents want it I assumed? At least initially.
now they have shorter terms and line teaching days.

I think the op was suggesting that long holidays and additional childcare are a hidden or unexpected cost of private schooling.

Around here our private schools only have slightly longer holidays than the state schools - it works out about 10 days per year.

I think it's wrong Sparkling. When you're paying for the education, shouldn't you have the same holidays as the other children within education? Why set them apart? It's wrong.

I've been wrapped up in the private schooling world for the last 13 years, as part of my job. I'm so against private schooling, it pains me to even take my charges. But, not my place to disagree.

Private schools have on average an extra 2-3 weeks' more holiday than state school, so about 35 weeks compared to 37 weeks at state. With my 2 dcs in separate private schools that do not have holidays that coincide, I am having to find childcare for an extra 3 weeks a year. In total, I have to fund childcare outside of school for 20 weeks a year.

In reality, dh and I take some weeks off, the rest is covered by the aupair, whom we top up her pocket money for extra hours. There are summer aupairs that just help out over the hols and some families use that. But I use an aupair throughout the year so it is quite a simple thing to just ask her to take over.

Aupair is less expensive than holiday clubs once you have more than one child because it is the same cost whether it is one or two, as in my case.

Longer holidays than the state system can be quite handy for taking holidays during the weeks when state is generally still on but private school has already broken up for the term. Booking holidays are still relatively cheaper and places
less crowded for those brief weeks.

For example, private schools generally start their summer holidays a week earlier than state schools. Many of senior managers/partners at my place of work (most of whom will use private schools) will start their summer hols over that week.

Oh well, that's a nice perk. Cheaper summer holidays and less people about.

jabed go and start a thread in AIBU about it then. See what answers you get

I might just. Last time I started one of those I got told off for doing it.

Go for it jabed. You said it was a genuine question so you will get some genuine answers hopefully.