Squeezed families face shrinking summer school holidays childcare options costing thousands

Six weeks of summer childcare for each school-age child could cost almost £1,000, according to new research

Less than a quarter of local authorities have enough childcare for full-time working parents during the school holidays - and those that do are putting up their prices, a study has found.

Six weeks of summer childcare for each school-age child could cost almost £1,000, according to the Coram Family and Childcare charity’s annual survey, released on Tuesday.

It said families in the UK face costs of £943 per child for this holiday period, which is £538 more than they would pay for after-school childcare in six weeks of term time.

It comes as families up and down the country face rising mortgage or rent bills, and inflated food and energy prices, and strikes over pay and conditions sweep a variety of industries.

Megan Jarvie, from Coram, said: "The high of cost of holiday childcare is going to put a further strain on families’ already stretched budgets.

"Even if families are able to afford these costs, many will struggle to find a place as we have found shortages right across the country."

Louise Dance, who runs a sweet shop, told ITV News her son has to come to work with her during the holidays.

"There's just nothing out there available for the times that I would need, and due to the costs of it as well - some of it is just extortionate," she said.

The research, based on surveys from local authorities in England, Scotland, and Wales between April and June, found that the cost of holiday childcare has risen 3% since 2022.

A place at a holiday club now costs an average of £157 per week – 2.3 times higher than the cost of an after-school club during term time, the charity said.

Wales has the highest weekly price at £168, followed by Scotland at £157 and England at £156.

While costs have risen, availability has decreased, according to the charity, with just 24% of local authorities in England saying they have enough holiday childcare for parents working full-time, down 2% on last year.

Provision for eight to 11-year-olds has dropped by 7% from last year, with 23% of local authorities saying they have enough for this age group.

Availability of holiday childcare for disabled children in England has also continued to fall, Coram said, with just 5% of local authorities reporting they have enough to meet local demand, down from 7% in 2022.

Costs and availability of holiday childcare varies depending on where families live, the charity said, stating that parents in inner London pay up to 25% more than those in the East of England – £177 per week compared to £142.

In the East Midlands, some holiday childcare places cost 104% more than the national average, while others are 58% less, Coram said.

The charity is calling on the government to extend childcare funding announced in the Spring Statement to include support during school holidays.

The Local Government Association (LGA) said: “concerted investment and recruitment of quality staff” is needed to ensure correct provision for disabled children, and said it was “disappointing” that the Government had not extended childcare support to include summer holidays.

Councillor Louise Gittins, chair of the LGA’s children and young people board, said: “While councils recognise the importance of ensuring there is sufficient provision available for children with Send, it can be difficult to ensure the right provision is available, particularly given the challenging situation that many providers face at the moment.”

A Department for Education spokesperson said: "Our Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, backed by £200 million per year to 2025, provides healthy meals, enriching activities and free childcare places to children from low-income families over the holidays.

“We are also investing £30 million to test new and innovative approaches to short respite breaks for families of children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities."

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