School’s out, and for millions of children it represents liberation from timetables, uniforms and homework. But for working parents, the six-week summer holiday is a nightmare of trying to organise and pay for childcare, with many relying on a fragile patchwork of playschemes, grandparents, friends, neighbours, and snatching time off work where possible.
As usual, money helps. Parents who can afford it can send their children to a week’s coding club, introducing technology skills to five-to six-year-olds (£435), or to learn about the science of seas and oceans (£395). For a fee of between £650 and £745, youngsters can attend a seven-night residential course focusing on film-making, cookery, or outdoor activities, including abseiling and canoeing, with talent shows and quizzes laid on in the evenings.
But there is a growing gulf between high-end, high-cost private provision and over-subscribed holiday clubs provided by cash-starved local authorities, voluntary agencies and community groups. For working parents on low incomes, “what is a headache in term time becomes a nightmare in the school holidays”, says Paul Morrison of the Methodist church, which runs summer play schemes and lunch clubs all over the country.
“A lot of people in low-paid, service-sector jobs get phoned at the beginning of the week to be told what hours they’re working that week. They are forced to try to patch together childcare at a moment’s notice,” he said.
This year’s annual survey by the Coram Family and Childcare charity found that the average cost of childcare across Britain in school holidays is £138 a week, or £828 over six weeks – a 3% rise on last year. It also found that only three in 10 English local authorities provide enough holiday childcare to meet the needs of parents working full time.
There are big regional differences. Parents in the north-west typically pay £118 a week during the school holidays, but the average cost in the south-east is 37% higher, at £162 a week. In the north-east, costs are 6% lower than last year, but in the south-west they are 20% higher.
“Significant gaps in the availability of childcare and high prices … can mean parents see little or no financial gain from working, once they have paid for childcare,” the report said.
Becky, who works in a supermarket in Plymouth, said the struggle to find adequate care for her two sons over the summer had caused her sleepless nights.
“My mum is helping out when she can, and I’m doing a few swaps with a friend. I’ve found some places which don’t cost too much, but they only take the kids for two or three hours, which doesn’t really work for me if I’m doing an eight-hour shift. The places that will take them all day are more than I can afford,” she said.
She and her partner are taking time off work separately to cover the gaps. “It means we don’t get much time together as a family, because I need to work when he’s off, and vice versa. And the whole time you’re worrying something will go wrong, and then what do you do?”
Low-income families on universal credit can claim 85% of childcare costs, up to £175 per week for one child and £300 for two or more. But the benefit is paid in arrears on presentation of receipts, meaning some families are forced to borrow money.
Morrison said: “I can’t stress enough how bad universal credit childcare support is. You have to pay out and then get it back in your next universal credit payment, which could be a month or even longer. And it only pays for up to two children.”
Local authorities are doing what they can in the face of swingeing budget cuts. A scheme run by Leicester city council over the break is providing free activities for six or seven hours a day for about 3,000 children. The holiday clubs are “open to everyone to avoid stigma, but are based in the areas of the city where families tend to be on low incomes”, said Sarah Russell, deputy city mayor for children and young people’s services.
The council would like to extend the scheme to more children, she added, “but we can only do that if we get government funding. If more money was available, we would be able to provide more.”
In South Tyneside, the Hedworthfield community association is running daily activity sessions for children, either at £25 for full daycare from 8am to 6pm, or free shorter sessions. This year, the group had its local authority funding cut, but succeeded in winning a one-off grant of £10,000 for the summer scheme.
“Our phones were ringing off the hook the minute it went out,” said local councillor Geraldine Kilgour. “Most people in this area are really struggling, and cuts to frontline services have been massive. Parents really fear the holidays. What we’re offering is critical, but there’s no guarantee we’ll get funding next year.”
Help is also coming from unexpected sources. The supermarket Sainsbury’s – which estimates UK families spend £9.9bn on childcare over the summer holidays, with three-quarters of parents seriously concerned about covering the costs – has launched children’s clubs in 70 locations. Between 9am and 4pm, children are offered sports, arts and crafts, and a healthy lunch, for £7.50. “We know from speaking to parents that the summer holidays can be a difficult time to keep kids active and entertained without having to spend a fortune,” said Judith Batchelar, director of Sainsbury’s brand.
According to Morrison, single parents face particular difficulties. “There’s no wriggle room for them, no one else in the house to juggle time off with and share the childcare worries. Instead of being valuable and relaxing family time, the school summer holidays are often very stressful, with a constant scramble to find cheap or free childcare.”
Average weekly cost of summer holiday childcare 2019
North-west £118.63
Scotland £123.22
Inner London £128.82
Wales £129.77
Yorkshire and Humber £130.34
West Midlands £130.66
East of England £136.05
East Midlands £142.66
North-east £144
Outer London £145.17
South-west £153.82
South-east £162.22
Source: Coram Family and Childcare survey
