Having it all during the school summer holidays - an impossible dream?

Outside my home office is a threadbare chair wedged against the door with a note on top saying, ‘On a call. Do not disturb’. It’s a hopeful attempt at some form of professional semblance, a nod to being in control while knowing that’s a distant ambition, when the vagaries of the school holidays hit. I am not alone in this somewhat chaotic arrangement of childcare juggling and working gambit.

In 2023 there were 19.5 million families in the UK, an increase of just over 1.1 million families (6%) since 2013. It’s a statistic which shows there is a steep upward climb on the numbers of working parents that are doing it all.

By law, employees are entitled to 5.6 weeks’ statutory paid holiday a year. Bank holidays might be included in this paid holiday. All in all that doesn’t even cover the six week school summer holiday let alone the half-terms, Easter and Christmas holidays either, and don’t forget the unscheduled sick days and time off to attend anything from the smorgasbord of sports days to Greek dress up days (parents can participate too), or the summer fete in which you are required to turn up with 50 friendship bands (handmade) to sell and some home baked brownies that are gluten and nut free. It’s a challenge and an exhausting one too, and when the days v the allowances don’t add up and the childcare costs are spiralling, working parents are left with a very real challenge to navigate.

Carers face similar difficulties too, particularly with round-the-clock caring provision needed for many elderly relatives, and that takes no regard for the need to keep an income coming in. It’s even more tricky when jobs don’t have any allowance for remote working, as is this case with many people-facing professions including medicine, veterinary practices, teaching and emergency services and hospitality businesses to name but a few – the lists go on.