Summer holidays - how do you handle it?

[dh8892]

My DS will be starting school in September 2025.

For a bit of background info...

I work part time, my husband full time (shift worker, different shifts each week/month). Neither of us have a job where we can alter the hours to work only term time/can't change jobs because of the usual constraints of mortgage and outgoings etc...We also don't have the type of jobs where we can take time off unpaid.

Our family live around 2.5 hours away (on a good day). Friends are all over an hour away.

I am v worried about how we will handle the summer holidays. Yes we will use annual leave, but that won't cover all the holiday/ the other half terms.

It is likely that DS will attend an independent school so will have longer than the usual 6 week break.

Moving closer isn't a possibility anymore. When we were hoping to have a child the plan was to move closer to family for the childcare but that just isn't an option now.

Any advice/tips on how to handle it would be great. I am really worried about how to sort it, even though I am over 12 months away until school begins!

Do people send their children to holiday clubs (even when they will only be in reception) /get a nanny etc? Honestly haven't got a clue how to sort this problem!

Thanks in advance x

Everyone is entitled to unpaid parental leave.
Ours are also in independent so almost 20 weeks to cover. We take a few weeks off together as a family to go away but then also try to take a day off each week of holiday separately and then use holiday clubs the remaining days. I buy extra holiday and also take unpaid parental leave if I need to. Mine were OK in holiday clubs for a couple of days each week or mornings only but i didn't want them to be in holidays clubs all week for numerous weeks when reception aged.

Yes you need either a nanny or holiday club for the days you/family can’t cover. I drop dc off with grandparents for the one week each holiday which helps but they wouldn’t want them any longer.

Holiday clubs and annual leave. Start looking now, and talk to working parents with older children. There are a lot of small clubs out there that don't really advertise, I had no idea until I asked nursery mums what they were planning on doing.

Makes sure you know well in advance what your school offers, as that will be easiest for you and your child. Ours only covers half the holidays and not all sessions are suitable for KS1, which is a massive pain.

Summer camps, stays with grandparents, nanny, time off with each parent separately. Share with brothers/sisters having each others children for some of the holidays

Don't take them out of their current nursery until the September, then you won't have to cover a summer until then end of reception/just before year 1, when they'll be older and more likely to be OK in holiday clubs. My eldest's nursery used to have a lot of term time only kids, so in school holidays they were able to take some siblings or recent leavers, might be worth asking as it was nice for him going to a place he knew well.

Holiday clubs and DH and I tag team which means we don't have time left for family holidays but we spend time with the kids on our own

Holiday clubs
Stays at grandparents

One thing to bear in mind is when your child turns 5 as some holiday clubs won't take reception children unless they're 5 years old.

I'm a bit confused by the question tbh. You're part time so you presumably only have a few days a week to cover but even so you do the same as everyone else eg:

• ask grandparents to come and stay to help
• pay for holiday clubs

-pay for a nanny

• take time off separately to your husband
• take time off as a family and go away

You're sending them to independent school which is a choice that makes holidays more of a burden as they are longer but also indicates you have the funds to cover the extra time off.

@boomingaround apologies I should have made it clear that I’ll be going back to work full time to cover the school fees!

Unfortunately grandparents coming down to help just isn’t an option, they are tied to where they are and could at most only come down for maybe a day, 2 at most but not concurrently.

It's doable, it's good to plan ahead but try not to worry about the next 6 or 7 years, just focus on the next couple of holidays. You do have to throw money at it though.

For us it was a combination of holiday clubs (you may find that independent schools run holiday club for several weeks in the main holidays which is great as it's often a familiar environment and people), taking a couple of weeks of parental leave each year, helping other parents with some odd days and then they can reciprocate, grandparents coming to stay for a week and covering some days. Sports clubs often ran local holiday activities.

It's worth asking local childminders whether they have any 'term only' children and might have spaces during the holidays. If your employer is understanding could you work a couple of days from home on the understanding that you'll catch up in the evenings - not for the whole summer but might work for a few days.

We drop the dc off with the grandparents one weekend and pick them up the following. You say they can’t come to you but could your dc go to them?
Honestly if you have to go full time to afford the school fees are you sure you can afford private schooling? It gives you a much higher childcare bill for holidays, and uniform and school trips tend to be more expensive.

My husband and I both work full time and our child goes to independent school. We receive no help from grandparents. We do as others have suggested - have one week as a family holiday, take one week off separately to look after our child and the rest of the time they attend the holiday camp at the school. I work compressed hours so get one day off per week.

It is a bit of a nightmare and requires yearly review to check the system is working as needs will change and what works aged 5 won’t work aged 7.
I work part time have 6 weeks leave and buy an extra week of leave.
We take off 4 overlapping weeks for holidays then husband has two off alone with DS and I have three off with him.
That leaves 11 weeks to cover. Certain times of year have clubs others don’t.
Ours had been at a childminder before school and she kindly took him during holidays for the first year, then we started doing the odd holiday club from year 1 and now it’s all holiday clubs when we’re not able to take care of him. My tip with clubs is if there is one provided at his school by familiar adults will probably feel more comfortable going especially when small. When they’re older mix and match a bit and try a new one for a couple of days each year so that there’s variety and you can change things if one they used to like falls out of favour. So for example one week might be coding, the next cricket, the next science camp, the next DT related and so on. Also see where their buddies are going as it makes it nicer (although a perk is making new friends)
But yeah it’s really tricky. I spend a long time working on the school holiday spreadsheet. Good luck.

We took separate AL. I did use holiday clubs but they are all short days here so almost useless for work (unless you can WFH?).
I did do a holiday swop with another parent, which is where the holiday clubs were useful as it was only the beginning and end of the day to have other child (so could WFH for half a day).
DD also kept going to nursery for a few years as there were a couple of older kids who went, she didn’t like it though, but I would do long days on those days.

Im lucky I was part time and also I could accrue TOIL and save it for holidays.

Neither of us have a job where we can alter the hours to work only term time/can't change jobs

Isn't that exactly the same as most people?!

You do what most people do. Childminder, arrangements with other parents, holiday clubs etc.

You’re opting for private schools which have long holidays-you presumably earn more than the average couple? If finances are difficult, can go opt for state and use the money for wraparound care.

Holiday clubs and annual leave and unpaid leave

Yes holiday clubs, of course - usually we would pick a club that friends were going to. Summer will be two weeks vacation at the end. Inset days we take holiday.

Holiday club. Occasionally a nanny or babysitter will work out cheaper (eg for two children).
My DD is 9 now and too old to like the school holiday club (it's full of tiny kids) but goes to a specialist craft club. DS is 12 but has SEN and we've just got funding for a PA (AKA babysitter) in the holidays, but DH is retired now so he has him some days and a break the others. Before he retired we had to share the holidays which did mean some days WFH and trying to manage him but that was only from age 9 or so.

@ItRainsItPours not to go into our financial landscape but of course we have considered if we can afford independent school. We are fortunate that we can afford school fees on my part time wage, but I would also like to ensure my DS can do other important things like skiing, holidays abroad, anything else he wants etc hence I am going to do full time to ensure he can always have whatever he pleases whilst at the school. Of course, we are aware that we are in a fortunate position.

My dc are 12 and 15, so we are now pretty much out of the horror of school holiday childcare. We used holiday clubs a lot, and dh and I were only ever off at the same time for bank holidays, and 1 week a year (usually the 4 days after August BH), we. we 'd have our family holiday. I work 4 days a week too. That helps a bit.

It is pretty relentless.

All the independent schools round here run sports camps/play schemes over the holidays. If this is important to you (and it sounds like it will be) then make sure you ask potential schools about their holiday provision before applying.

Do people send their children to holiday clubs (even when they will only be in reception) /get a nanny etc?

Yes, people do things like that.

My parents stayed for 2 weeks, 2 weeks of family holiday and 2 weeks holiday club.
Shorter holidays we with both took random days off and had friends kids for odd days and they had ds.
Football camps, cubs/scouts camps etc. It's doable but needs planning

People typically take their kids to stay at grandparents house. Eg. Go over at one weekend, have a visit and leave the kids there, pick them up the next weekend, or after 2 weeks.
I can't imagine expecting the grandparents to up root to come and look after them at you house, that sounds very inconvenient for them

Send him off on an 8 week ski camp.