@thismorning: Is the cost of summer holidays too high? With parents paying £1,076 per child for holiday clubs, Ashley James says the school system is stuck in the past with many families being priced out of childcare altogether.

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Thursday 17 July 2025 17:38:07 GMT
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er1246
E R :
People forget that school is there to educate children not to make parents’ lives easier. Teachers are not childminders.
2025-07-17 18:21:26
2374
laura_a_langley
Laura La Lang 🥂🍾✈️ :
Why don’t the parents take the holidays unpaid…. just like the school staff do?
2025-07-17 18:41:20
236
charlottebrown402
Charlotte Brown :
Not schools fault, School is not free childcare it’s a education system.
2025-07-22 21:14:29
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ursula_healthcarenetwork
Ursula_healthcarenetwork :
The system that should be changed is employers should adapt to this time and we should live in a world where one income with
2025-07-19 21:49:34
1
tea_and_tofu_
Rachel :
Schools are not childcare. Please stop perpetuating the idea that schools are a place for children to be housed when their parents are working and that the school calendar should consider childcare as a reason for change. Schools are there to educate children and on top of this are already responsible for a huge amount of community social care.
2025-07-17 18:08:21
277
jojouaeadventure
JoJo 🇿🇦 🇦🇪 :
Will that add to teachers salary?
2025-07-22 11:14:44
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loramarsdenart
lorakusanagi :
school isn't childcare. it's education. and people are choosing to have kids despite all these challenges and knowing that these holidays are not a new thing.
2025-07-17 18:02:54
403
ybfbfbfbf
Ybfbfbfbf :
The children need the breaks. It’s not for us teachers. The children are absolutely exhausted at the end of half-term/term.
2025-07-17 19:04:10
3203
chelsealeighcopp
Chelss leighh :
I just think there needs to be better system for working mums I was constantly forced to get job or my benefits would be sanctioned and my daughter was 3 no help no childcare in the area I don’t drive I love working my job is great but I feel like I spend more money in half terms on childcare than I am spending time with her and breaks my heart 😩
2025-07-22 11:49:12
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pianoballads
Piano Ballads :
Why are we putting pressure on schools instead of putting pressure on our employers? If everyone asked for the summer off, employers might get the message
2025-07-17 18:07:51
2029
katiepopcorn202
Popcorn :
As a teacher we need the 6 weeks due to all of the time we work over hours during the school term. Mental health of staff is already suffering so much due to work load. We also need it to plan lessons for the next year. To top it off staff only get paid for term time and their wages are spead across the year, this means more money having to be put into education if the six weeks is shorter. From the students perspectives they need this time off. The closer to the six weeks we get the more irritable, tired and frustrated the kids get. Modern education is so full on for students that they need the break.
2025-07-17 18:19:59
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beferebo
Bethan❤️ :
Not just that single mothers struggle also as I have a 2 year old who isn’t in education yet and I have universal credit pressuring me to work but who will have my baby when there’s no child care in the area and the father isn’t involved it’s the same with my sister her partner passed away she has 2 kids 2 and under and she’s pressured to work even tho she’s grieving and gone from being a 2 parent household to 1 why is the system making it harder I worked but due to domestic abuse and sudden relocating I had to finish my job and now trying to get work that is around childcare if I can get any is hard work
2025-07-23 10:43:26
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kchan0403
Kallie :
The world isn’t made for working mums, fact.
2025-07-17 20:20:03
1864
katherinewilson09
Katherine 💿✨ :
I don’t think we should make the holidays shorter as the kids deserve it and the teachers deserve a break but maybe a bit of help from the government wouldn’t go under appreciated even just a week or two of free clubs would help us parents massively
2025-07-18 12:34:34
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mandycayley
Mandycayley :
I work in a school and I love the kids, but if I didn’t have that time off, I think I’d have a Breakdown. We don’t get paid for our holidays which is fine cause that’s what we’ve chose. The children are exhausted. We’re not Babysitting. We are there teaching the children. It can be really difficult specially when you’re having children that struggle within school with behaviour learning difficulties and many violent students . we’re even having to buy our own glue sticks our own resources because the money just isn’t there schools are suffering at the moment it’s a really tough place to be. When you work with children, it’s not because of the money you really do just wanna make a difference to our children’s education and lives and well-being along with safeguarding protecting our children. while trying to cover your bills..
2025-07-17 20:18:48
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shanbe98
wahabegum :
It's more that the workplace hasn't caught up with people's lifestyles. We should all get more time off
2025-07-17 17:48:03
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mamanewall
Sarah l All things family :
Things were better in the 1950s. Less mental health problems. Less obesity. Less divorce rates. People could afford a good standard of living. Families were connected. Children knew who there parents were instead of being at breakfast club, after school club, wrap around and summer camps. There were booming local economies where communities supported one another. No everyone is stressed, miserable, running on empty and when you look around aside from chain around your ankle chaining you to the desk at work and the tax man, what have people really got from this modern way of living? Shortening the holidays won't make a difference in the long run. In another 50 years they'll be parents who no doubt will want school holidays to be band all together. The children and the school isn't the problem.
2025-07-24 13:55:30
0
brenster63
Brenster :
I think it should be the other way around!! This is coming from a household of two working parents btw. The schooling system’s responsibility is not to provide childcare, it is meant to educate our children (academically and socially). What is wrong with society now is people have children but can’t /wont spend time with them because they are prioritising work (money) to keep up with bills and simply getting by, or for some (probably most) lifestyle. Society is not set up to allow a healthy balance of working, living, spending time with family. That’s the hard truth.
2025-07-22 11:41:38
0
nataliemulford
Natalie Mulford :
School is not babysitting
2025-07-19 01:23:56
1
justmegg5
Just Meg :
I left my job as a TA because I was working 40-50hours a week, both in class and taking work home but only paid 27.5 hours of that. A class of 34, a mix of mainstream, SEN and behavioural issues. Not paid over holidays, taking home just under £1000 per month. I've been spat at, punched, kicked, stabbed and tables thrown at me. I'd buy resources myself as school budget is low, bringing in food from home for kids who wouldnt have eaten since the school dinner they had the day before. I was always poorly and exhausted, cuts meant i was 1:1 with SEN kids AND class TA. I'd often do work at the wknds and I'd be in the school painting walls/prepping/making during holidays too. For free. Tried to set up Play/sport club to run over holidays but local authority said no as they didn't want the school building using more gas/electric etc. How about the government improve pay and conditions for reduction staff so we're not burned out and leaving the profession. That is all
2025-07-17 20:56:13
24
katecarter02
KateCarter24 :
School is not your free childcare!!
2025-07-17 18:24:28
594
gpspices
Farah :
How about we talk about more flexible jobs or fixing our broken economy. As a mum I want to see my kids for those 18 summers of their childhood please
2025-07-17 19:04:06
207
vickster84j
Vicky *J* :
schools are out dated institutions full stop
2025-07-22 14:53:09
0
jenniferlaurenwigs
Jenny :
Instead of talking about time off the kids get, which shouldn’t be touched. Talk about better minimum holiday entitlement for the parents, 28 days off isnt enough. In Italy kids get 3 months off. In france nearly 2 months. 6 weeks in comparison is nothing. Uk is so behind salary wise compared to countries is the USA, no one can afford just one parent working full time anymore
2025-07-18 09:40:12
2
loony...luna
LunaLoon :
the hardest struggle for us is that the school expect all parents to be at home and everything is scheduled for the school day. I think as refused access to my son's sports day as had a meeting at work and arrived 10 minutes late. they told me that I should have been there in time. I'm a social worker. it does not work like that!
2025-07-22 10:15:24
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