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 care for a child – a 6% increase.

A survey of local councils across Britain, carried out 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 keep costs down while facing staffing shortages.

The government says it is providing support to families.

‘Poorly paid job’

In Birmingham, Harborne School’s Out owner Claire Johnson is expecting a busy summer – her club has been packed for months.

“With the people I rejected, I could run a completely new club, but I don’t have staff or a big enough venue,” she says.

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

And every time you have to increase prices, it’s a “very big decision” – including this year, when the cost of a full day, from 7:30am to 5:30pm, will go from £35 to £38.

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

At collection time, John and Katriona Virgo say the holiday and after-school club at Harborne has been “fantastic”, particularly on election day when the school turned into a polling station and ran a last-minute holiday club.

Their summer will involve clubs, annual holidays and grandparents happy to help – “with a little persuasion”.

Across Britain, the average cost for a child in full-time holiday clubs for six weeks was now a record £1,045, Coram found.

Compared to last year, the data suggests, prices have risen:

• 5% in England

• 4% in Scotland

• 15% in Wales

“Many families dread the start of the summer holidays,” says Coram Family and Childcare managing director Ellen Broomé.

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

Events manager and public speaking coach Dani Wallace, who has three children, describes the summer holidays as “organized chaos”.

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

Neither club meets the eldest child’s additional needs. In the past, he found them “noisy and quite intimidating”.

And she has to count on the help of her family.

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

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

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

During the summer, her whiteboard comes out and Stirk fills in the days she is off, the days her husband is on leave and the days her two children attend clubs.

“Some of the clubs are £30, £40, £50 – multiplied by two – and you have to have lunch and get them to and from,” she says.

“Also, the clubs we used were open from 9am to 3pm, so when you take them somewhere you don’t have a full day’s work.”

It has been a difficult few years for the sector following the pandemic, when many out-of-school clubs closed their doors.

‘Struggling financially’

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

“We hear about availability falling – but I have suppliers who are talking to us about how their demand is so low that they haven’t recovered from Covid,” said chief executive Rebekah Jackson Reece.

“They are really struggling financially due to rising rents, lack of ability to find staff and schools inherently becoming more interested in running their own services as their budgets are tight.”

There needs to be a greater understanding of parents’ needs and matching these with existing provision, adds Ms Reece.

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

“Over the summer holidays we are funding the Playworks program which provides high quality games, and the Food and Fun program will be available in all local authority areas,” said an official.

The Scottish Government said it announced a £16 million investment in six communities, to understand what would be needed to provide year-round local childcare systems.

“A further £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 families in low income,” an official added.

The Department for Education in England said local authorities should offer six weeks’ worth of holiday activities and food programmes, which provide free meals, activities and places for children from low-income families.

“Child care is often unavailable or inaccessible, especially for disadvantaged children or those with additional needs – and we are determined to rebuild opportunities for all children,” said one guardian.

Weekly childcare costs during the summer holidays

• England: £173.14 – 5% increase

• Wales: £208.82 – 15% increase

• Scotland: £167.49 – 4% increase

• Yorkshire and Humber: £173.32 – 13% increase

• Inner London: £152.56 – 8% increase

• South East: £215.68 – 3% increase

Source: Coram Holiday Childcare Survey

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