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

You need to make sure your new job covers holiday clubs as well then.

Personally I'd not bother and stay part time with state schools & enjoy the holidays more with them!

That's a good point, they're surprisingly expensive! Our fairly basic school club is £30 a day, £35 for early/late. The big brand name ones like Barracudas (which I'm not sure are really suitable for Reception, but great for older kids) are more like £50 per day.

You take unpaid parental leave, split annual leave between the pair of you, use holiday clubs and ship DC off to grandparents. Same as every parent.
School holidays are tough but you have to adjust your annual leave to accommodate as much as possible.
Once they get older you will be able to alternate full day play dates with other parents too.

We try and take a 2 week holiday, the rest of the time she's in holiday club and loves it, she's Y3 now and has been going since reception. We also don't have grandparents nearby to look after her and to be honest i think she has more fun at holiday club!
Same applies to a lot of her friends, some also do say theatre or sports camps, but the ones around us are either half a day or 9-3 so would depend on working hours/WFH.

I dont think anyone just does 'one thing' everyone I know juggles a variety of options in order to make school holidays work! I would have a planner for the summer holidays and use postits to move stuff around until I had a plan that worked and covered all days!!!

• each parent taking annual leave separately
• both parents taking annual leave together for family holiday
• Grand parents/my sister coming to us ( iw ould then have me neice and nephew on another week/holiday)
• Children going to stay with grandparents (drop down one weekend and collect the following)
• Holiday clubs, our school did one for the first 2 weeks of the holidays
• External holiday clubs (council do one at the leisure centre - but will only be in state school holidays), things like mad science or other private providers
• Swopping childcare with friends eg if you have a day off take someone elses child and they take yours on another day
• if you can afford it a nanny but you may find it hard to find someone who will just do holidays
• Childminders will take schools children during the holidays
• friends uni age children who are home for the holidays and want some extra cash

We'll be using holiday clubs, a local childminder and taking two weeks off in the summer.

When mine were younger we covered the school holidays mostly with holiday clubs (mix of school out of hours club and external providers). When in P1 & P2 also used a childminder for some days.
Plus some annual leave and some trips to stay with grandparents, or aunt and cousins.

It can be a nightmare finding holiday club places near us - none of them seem to advertise, and slots get booked upon release for many of them. Over time I have built up a list of options and crucially gotten on mailing lists so I know when signups open. Our indie does several lovely options with ability to book later pick up time, and it runs almost every day there is no school. The only time when there isn’t anything are a week around Christmas, bank holidays and a couple of inset days (the day before school starts for example). Both of mine LOVE school holiday club - they like the idea of being at school without the structure - but I try to book a few weeks in other places to give a bit of variety as they grow older.

Most parents, yes, use childcare.

It's worth asking around on your local Facebook or WhatsApp groups for recommendations.

Mine have attended big name ones like super camps - which I have found fine for reception age children - and also smaller ones.

TBH my children like having some structure in the holidays and would get bored without it.