Holiday childcare costs in Great Britain have risen by 6% since last summer, with working parents now facing an average bill of £175 per child per week – over £1,000 for the six-week break – according to Coram Family and Childcare’s 19th annual Holiday Childcare Survey, published today.
The report also reveals growing shortages of holiday childcare, with drops across all categories of provision in England over the last year.
Today’s report finds that a place at a holiday club now costs 2.5 times more than an after-school club during term time (£175 per week compared to £69). This means that families face costs of £1,049 for six weeks of holiday childcare for each school age child – £635 more than they would pay for six weeks of after-school childcare during term time.
There have been significant price increases across several parts of the nation, notably in Wales which has seen a 15% rise in costs over the last year (£209 per week), and Yorkshire and the Humber where costs have risen by 13% (£174 per week). There is also wide variation in holiday childcare costs across the regions, with, surprisingly, the lowest costs reported in inner London (£153 per week) and the highest seen in the South East, which at £216 per week, are 23% higher than the average in Britain.
Cost is not the only challenge for families this summer, with further decreases in holiday childcare places and significant variation in availability across Britain. In England, levels of holiday childcare have decreased in all categories, with just 3% of councils reporting enough holiday childcare for disabled children (down 2 percentage points on 2023) and 3% reporting enough for parents working atypical hours (down 6 percentage points on 2023). The biggest decrease is for parents working full time, which is down by 7 percentage points from 24% to just 17%.
This year saw the start of the roll-out of the biggest change in childcare and early education funding and policy in England since 2017, with significant additional investment in support for parents with childcare costs. However, this is during term time only and leaves a large gap for families to bridge during the holidays. Coram Family and Childcare is calling for this funding to be extended to support childcare during school holidays, to make sure provision meets the needs of working parents and carers year-round.
Ellen Broomé, Managing Director of Coram Family and Childcare, said: “Too many families dread onset of the summer holidays. Rather than a time for families to rest, play and have fun together, many parents worry about how to pay for holiday childcare during the long summer break. And with ever growing shortages of available childcare, finding a place will be a challenge this summer, particularly for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
“The new Government has a real opportunity to change the experience of school-aged children and families during the school breaks. Full reform will take time, but meeting the needs of disadvantaged children and those with SEND should be an early priority, followed by reform of the system to provide the year-round support that families need.”
Coram Family and Childcare is also calling on the Government to:
- Encourage increased data collection to make sure local areas have the information they need to plan sufficient holiday childcare for all children.
- Provide additional funding, training and support to holiday childcare providers to meet the needs of children with SEND.
- Encourage increased holiday childcare provision for older children, those in rural areas and for parents who work atypical hours by supporting providers and local authorities with information on models of delivery and targeted funding.
- Maintain the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme after its planned end date of March 2025 to improve access to affordable, high-quality childcare for all children who need it.
- Extend the funded early education entitlements to 48 weeks per year, to make sure provision meets the needs of working parents and carers year-round, and remove the work criteria to give disadvantaged children the same holiday childcare as their more affluent peers.