Childcare costs over the six-week summer break could cost working parents as much as £1,800, a charity has revealed.
A survey by the children’s charity Coram found while the average British parent will need to fork out £234 a week for a holiday childminder, in inner London it costs £306 a week – that’s £1,800 for six weeks.
It’s the first time the annual survey has included childminder costs during the holidays alongside data on availability of places in childcare clubs provided by local authorities.
Childcare costs have risen by 4 per cent across England, Wales and Scotland over the past year.
But it’s not just the cost of care that makes the six-week break harder for families, it’s the lack of holiday childcare available.
The survey found only 9 per cent of councils in England had enough spaces for at least 75 per cent of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in their area.
But this figure is even more stark in East Midlands, the East of England and inner London with no councils able to offer places to two thirds of children with SEND.
Many councils do not have a clear picture of whether they have enough holiday childcare for the children in their area, with at least half responding “data not held or cannot tell” for availability questions in the survey.
However, where this information is known, those with older children, parents working atypical hours and children with SEND have the least availability of childcare.
Lydia Hodges, Head of Coram Family and Childcare, said: “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.
“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.”
Ms Hodges argues childcare is an ongoing issue and following the survey the charity cannot be sure children, especially those with special educational needs and disabilities, are not missing out.
“We need a system that meets the needs of all children, with the ongoing security of free holiday childcare for disadvantaged families and timely help with bills for those who need it, so that no child misses out during school holidays,” she added.
The charity is calling on the government to maintain the holiday activities and food (HAF) programme after March 2026 to make sure disadvantaged children have affordable childcare during school holidays.
It also wants to see additional funding to holiday childcare providers to meet the needs of children with SEND and childcare made available to fit a range of parental working patterns.
The Department of Education spokesperson said: “We recognise the school holidays can be a pressurised time for parents, which is why this government is putting pounds back in parents’ pockets both during the holidays and in term time.
“We are expanding free school meals to all children whose households are on universal credit, introducing free breakfast clubs in primary schools, and rolling out 30 government funded hours of early education from September – saving families money and helping them balance work with family life.
“We are also continuing to fund free holiday clubs through the Holiday Activities and Food programme which provides six weeks of activities and meals for any child from a low-income family who needs it.”
