Families face £1,045 bill for summer holiday clubs

Families paying for holiday clubs this summer now face a bill of £1,045 for six weeks of childcare for one child, a 6% increase.

A survey of local councils across Britain by the charity Coram Family and Childcare also suggests a shortage of places, particularly affecting children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Providers say they are trying to cut costs as they face staff shortages.

The government says it is providing support to families.

In Birmingham, Claire Johnson, owner of Harborne School, is expecting a busy summer: her club has been fully booked for months.

“With the people I’ve pushed away, I could run a whole new club, but I don’t have the staff or a big enough room,” she says.

During term time, Mrs Johnson runs an after-school club, as three of the local primary school clubs are full.

And every time it has to raise prices it is a “really big decision” – including this year, when the cost of a full day, from 7.30am to 5.30pm, will rise from £35 to £38.

“It’s already a low-paid job for staff, so it’s a real passion for everyone who works in the sector,” says Ms Johnson.

At the time of taking charge, John and Katriona Virgo say the Harborne Holiday and After School Club was “fantastic”, particularly on election day when the school transformed into a polling station and held a last-minute holiday club.

Their summer will be marked by clubs, annual leave and grandparents happy to help them – “with a little persuasion”.

In Britain, the average cost of a child in full-time holiday clubs for six weeks has now reached a record high of £1,045, Coram found.

Compared to last year, data suggests that prices have increased:

“Too many families dread the start of the summer holidays,” says Ellen Broomé, chief executive of Coram Family and Childcare.

“Finding a place will be a challenge this summer, especially for children with special educational needs and disabilities.”

Dani Wallace, an event planner and public speaking coach with three children, describes the summer holidays as “organised chaos”.

Holiday clubs are unaffordable. “It’s just not feasible when there are three of them,” says Wallace.

None of the clubs cater to his eldest son’s special needs. In the past, he found them “noisy and quite intimidating.”

And she has to rely on help from her family.

“Over the years, it’s been a real struggle to find what works for us,” Wallace says.

For Emma Stirk, a lawyer and positive psychology coach, holiday clubs have been a lifeline.

But this year prices in Yorkshire, where she lives, have risen by 13% – the biggest increase in England.

During the summer, Mrs. Stirk takes out her whiteboard and writes down the days she takes off, the days her husband takes off and the days her two children attend clubs.

“Some clubs are £30, £40, £50 – double that – and you get lunch and transport there and back,” she says.

“Also, the clubs we used were open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., so by the time you got them somewhere, you didn’t have a full day’s work.”

Recent years have been difficult for the sector, following the pandemic, when many after-school clubs closed their doors.

The Out of School Alliance, which represents service providers, says the situation is mixed across the country.

“We’re hearing about a drop in availability, but I have suppliers telling us their demand is so low that they haven’t recovered from the Covid crisis,” says managing director Rebekah Jackson Reece.

“They are really struggling to make ends meet because of rising rents, a lack of capacity to find staff and the fact that schools are increasingly interested in running their own services while their budgets are being cut.”

Parents’ needs need to be better understood and adapted to existing arrangements, Reece adds.

The Welsh Government said it was offering three and four-year-old children of eligible parents 30 hours of funded childcare for up to 48 weeks a year.

“During the summer holidays we are funding the Playworks programme, which provides high quality play, and the Food and Fun programme will be available in every local authority area,” an official said.

The Scottish Government has announced a £16 million investment in six communities to understand what it takes to deliver local childcare systems all year round.

“An additional £4 million has been invested in the Extra Time programme, a joint initiative with the Scottish Football Association, to provide up to 3,000 free places per week in before and after school clubs and holiday clubs for children from low-income families,” an official added.

The Department for Education in England has said local authorities should offer the equivalent of six weeks of holiday food and activity programmes, which provide free meals, activities and childcare to children from low-income families.

“Too often, childcare is unavailable or unaffordable, particularly for disadvantaged children or those with additional needs – and we are committed to restoring opportunity for every child,” an official said.

Source: Coram survey on childcare during the holidays