Summer holiday childcare costs in Great Britain have risen by 4% in the last year, with working parents now facing an average bill of £179 per child per week – £1,075 for the six-week break, new research by Coram shows.
The report also reveals uncertainty and gaps in holiday childcare provision, with only 9% of councils in England reporting enough places for at least 75% of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in their area. This figure falls to 0% for three regions in England – the East Midlands, the East of England and Inner London.
An unsustainable expense
The data shows that a place at a holiday club costs over two-and-a-half times more than an after-school club during term-time (£179 per week compared to £66).
The highest summer holiday childcare costs are found in Wales, which have risen by 6% since last year to £209.60 per week. Yorkshire and the Humber has seen the biggest annual price increase (13%) – more than triple the national average – with the average cost of a holiday club now at £194.41 per week.
By comparison, Coram found that the average price of a childminder during the holidays is £234 per week in Great Britain – a total of over £1,400 for the six-week break.
Cost is not the only issue
In England, many councils do not have a clear picture of whether they have enough holiday childcare for the children in their area, with half or more responding ‘data not held or cannot tell’ for all availability questions.
However, where this information is known, the lowest childcare sufficiency levels in England are seen for older children, parents working atypical hours and children with SEND, echoing trends from previous Holiday Childcare Surveys.
“The need for childcare doesn’t finish at the end of term. Holiday childcare not only helps parents to work but gives children the chance to have fun, make friends and stay active during the school breaks. Yet all too often it is missing from childcare conversations,” said Lydia Hodges, Head of Coram Family and Childcare.
“Whilst the increase in government-funded early education has reduced childcare costs for working parents of under-fives in England, prices for Holiday Childcare are going up for school-age children. This risks encouraging parents to work while their children are young, only to find it is not sustainable once their child starts school,” she said.
Hodges added that the availability of holiday childcare is an ongoing issue, and without a clear picture of how much holiday childcare there is in each area, we cannot be sure that children, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities, are not missing out.
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