UK 
United States
Half-term is upon us, and for many working parents the dust has barely settled on the long summer holidays. A growing number of schools are now stretching the October break to two weeks, which could mean double the fun or double the headache, depending on how you look at it. So what can HR do to support working parents facing ever-longer school holidays to cover?
A patchwork of dates
Term dates vary from council to council, and from school to school. By the end of 2024, about one in ten state schools had already moved to a two-week autumn break, prompting many to follow suit. This year, for example Surrey’s community and voluntary-controlled schools are off from 19 to 30 October, with five days clawed back from next summer’s holiday. Academies and free schools, however, set their own dates. Bromley, the Isle of Wight, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire and Rutland are among the other areas with a two-week break this year.
For working parents, a two-week October half term means finding and paying for an extra week of childcare. Most parents have limited annual leave, and summer has usually used up a big share of it. An extra week in October means using up more leave, going unpaid, or trying to work with children at home
The patchwork is even more of a headache for parents with children at different schools. A fortnight at one school and a single week at another can stretch across three weeks, with just one week overlapping. Parents paid by the hour, and those in less flexible jobs – working unsociable or set hours, or in specific locations such as hospitals or shops – told BBC News that two-week half-terms could be particularly challenging.
