School-age childcare is often overlooked compared to preschool childcare. However, we know that the childcare struggle doesn’t end when your child enters Reception. It was great to see the Chancellor recognise this and announce new funding to set up wraparound childcare for school-age children – but this missed out the 13 weeks a year of school holidays.
Our latest report, the Holiday Childcare Survey 2023, details the extent of the problem and what can be done to make the school holidays a bit easier for working parents. For 18 years, we’ve been asking every local authority in England, Scotland and Wales if they have enough holiday childcare for children aged 4 to 14 in their area and how much it costs.
This year, only 24% of local authorities in Britain told us they have enough holiday childcare places for parents who work full-time; a 2% drop since last year. For many of you who have spent months trying to cobble together a way through the summer holidays, this will not come as a surprise. While the number of childcare places available for parents working full-time is clearly not good enough, the struggle to find holiday childcare can be even harder depending on the age of your children, where you live or your working pattern.
Availability is better for younger children than older: 26% of local authorities in Britain say they have enough childcare places for 4 to 7-year-olds, but this drops to just 10% for 12 to 14 – and both have dropped since last year. There is a lot of regional variation, and you could find it harder to secure a summer childcare place depending on where you live. Provision is highest in North West England – where 43% of local authorities told us they have enough childcare for children aged 4 to 7 – and lowest in the East of England, where no local authorities said they have enough holiday childcare places for this age group.
If you work outside of typical office hours – for example, in healthcare or hospitality – provision is scarce; only 9% of local authorities in Britain say they have enough holiday childcare for parents working atypical hours. Access to childcare is especially dire for families with a disabled child; if your child has a disability, only 5% of local authorities say they are able to meet your childcare needs over the summer. All of these figures are worse than last year.
This year, we asked local authorities about their experience of the holiday activities and food (HAF) programme. The HAF programme gives opportunities – to be active, have fun and eat healthily – to children who are most likely to miss out on these over the summer.
More than three quarters of local authorities told us the HAF programme meets the above aims and nearly three quarters said the programme helps children to be safe and not socially isolated and to have greater knowledge about health and nutrition. The success of HAF highlights the positive impact holiday childcare can have on children, reducing social isolation and encouraging healthy habits.
Just like availability varies based on where you live, so too does the price. If you live in Inner London, you’re likely to pay up to 25% more for holiday childcare than if you live in the East of England. Across Britain, a place at a holiday club now costs an average of £157.13 per week – more than twice as much as the average after-school club during term time – but prices can vary vastly within areas too.
Thankfully, there is some help available for covering these costs. Many parents don’t realise that they can use Tax-Free Childcare to help with the cost of holiday childcare for school-age children – or that the scheme exists at all. Eligible working families can get up to £2,000 off childcare costs per year. If you receive support through Universal Credit, you can use the childcare element to help pay for Ofsted-registered childcare for any child under 16. Universal Credit will cover up to 85% of the cost.
For information about year-round childcare and family services in your area, contact your local Family Information Service. Enter your postcode into our Childcare and Family Services Finder to find the relevant Family Information Service for you.
Holiday clubs give children opportunities to make new friends and to try new activities, keeping their young minds buzzing and ready to learn in September. We want to see the funding for wraparound childcare increased and extended to outside of term time so children can engage in life beyond the classroom and so you don’t have to struggle in the run-up to every school holiday.
Read the full Holiday Childcare Survey 2023 here.
Megan Jarvie, head of Coram Family and Childcare, will be returning to the post on the 1st August to answer questions.
Twitter: @CoramFamChild
Website: https://www.familyandchildcaretrust.org/
Guest posts
Guest Post
Guest post from Coram: “We want to see the funding for wraparound childcare increased and extended to outside of term time so children can engage in life beyond the classroom”
NicolaDMumsnet · 18/07/2023 12:36
Emma Goddard
Emma is the Policy Officer for Coram Family and Childcare. Prior to this, she worked for a local authority and completed a master's degree in Policy Research. Coram Family and Childcare (CFC) works to make the UK a better place for families by bringing together what we learn from our on the ground parent-led programmes and our research to campaign for solutions that parents want and need. CFC is part of Coram - the first and longest continuing children’s charity, helping hundreds of thousands of children and young people every year. Established by Royal Charter in 1739 as The Foundling Hospital, today we are a group of specialist organisations, working in the UK and as Coram International around the world.
Danikm151 · 25/07/2023 18:19
i’ve found that my local area is prioritising HAF summer clubs that are only for those who earn less than £7400 a year. The hours are only 10-2 if you want to pay for a place. It’s so hard for a working parent to find childcare around here that isn’t the other side of the city. (Birmingham)
What do you think can be done?
QforCucumber · 28/07/2023 14:59
@needmorecoffeeandcake absolutely this - we have a week off each, and then a week off together - there's 3 of the 6 weeks already covered.
We do a week each at Easter. One of us covers half of October and the other covers half of February that's only 6 weeks used of our joint 12 weeks of annual leave. Some childcare - at around £40 a day for 8:30 - 5pm care with food included (minus tax free childcare so then comes down to £32 a day) but hardly breaking the bank as we are aware of it and save through it throughout the year - and none of it is council run.
It's £4 an hour for someone to be wholly responsible for my most prized possession - I pay 3 times more per hour for the cleaner.
Grinchymother · 29/07/2023 16:45
Some of the above ^ seem to forget that not every child has two parents. It's enormously difficult for many families and I'm glad it's being addressed.
MeganCoram · 01/08/2023 14:33
You are right that very few need childcare for all of the summer holidays. Most of the families we work with will use their annual leave to help with childcare over the summer, and many others also have family and friends who can help out with childcare during the school break. But there are some who don't have support from family and friend or much flexibility about when they can take their holiday which is why we think its important that there is enough affordable childcare available.
It's also so easy for parents juggling childcare and work to get burnt out, so time as a family (or even time for yourself!) can be really helpful
QforCucumber · 28/07/2023 14:59
@needmorecoffeeandcake absolutely this - we have a week off each, and then a week off together - there's 3 of the 6 weeks already covered.
We do a week each at Easter. One of us covers half of October and the other covers half of February that's only 6 weeks used of our joint 12 weeks of annual leave. Some childcare - at around £40 a day for 8:30 - 5pm care with food included (minus tax free childcare so then comes down to £32 a day) but hardly breaking the bank as we are aware of it and save through it throughout the year - and none of it is council run.
It's £4 an hour for someone to be wholly responsible for my most prized possession - I pay 3 times more per hour for the cleaner.
QforCucumber · 01/08/2023 14:38
My point is more, at approx £4 an hour, how much more affordable can it be? Yes the big hefty bill isn't nice to look at, but when it costs more per hour to have a dog walked than for someone to care for your child then surely it is already 'affordable'
We're not on a high income, jointly earn under £65k, and have just spent 3 years paying FT nursery fees because there's no family or friend care out there, but truly - when it's broken down into an hourly rate for the time my baby is looked after, I can't see what else could be done.
MeganCoram · 01/08/2023 14:33
You are right that very few need childcare for all of the summer holidays. Most of the families we work with will use their annual leave to help with childcare over the summer, and many others also have family and friends who can help out with childcare during the school break. But there are some who don't have support from family and friend or much flexibility about when they can take their holiday which is why we think its important that there is enough affordable childcare available.
It's also so easy for parents juggling childcare and work to get burnt out, so time as a family (or even time for yourself!) can be really helpful
QforCucumber · 28/07/2023 14:59
@needmorecoffeeandcake absolutely this - we have a week off each, and then a week off together - there's 3 of the 6 weeks already covered.
We do a week each at Easter. One of us covers half of October and the other covers half of February that's only 6 weeks used of our joint 12 weeks of annual leave. Some childcare - at around £40 a day for 8:30 - 5pm care with food included (minus tax free childcare so then comes down to £32 a day) but hardly breaking the bank as we are aware of it and save through it throughout the year - and none of it is council run.
It's £4 an hour for someone to be wholly responsible for my most prized possession - I pay 3 times more per hour for the cleaner.
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