Parents 'desperate' as summer care hits £943 a child

Mum-of-two Melissa Gauge said those without help from family or friends felt "stuck"

The cost of childcare through the school summer holidays is now £943 per child on average, a survey suggests.

Working parents also face a huge disparity in price depending on where they live in Britain, according to the charity Coram Family and Childcare.

Families in central London are paying up to 25% more for places than those in the East of England, it said.

Mum-of-two Melissa Gauge told the BBC unaffordable childcare had left many parents feeling "stuck and desperate".

"What if you don't have grandparents or friends? There are some really dire situations out there," she said.

• Five money saving tips for parents over summer

A British family will pay on average £943 for six weeks of holiday childcare for a school-age child, the survey by Coram found. That's a 3% increase on last year.

Private holiday clubs are almost a third more expensive than those run by local authorities, it found.

Head of Coram, Megan Jarvie, said these high costs would put a further strain on families' already stretched budgets.

"Even if families are able to afford these costs, many will struggle to find a place as we have found shortages right across the country," she said.

For parents in England, prices have risen 3% on last year, Coram found, while in Scotland they are up 7%. At 9% the biggest increase has been in Wales, where it will cost more than £1,000 per child for six weeks of childcare this summer.

Weekly childcare costs during the summer holidays

• England £156.43

• Wales £168.20

• Scotland £157.22

• Inner London £177.13

• East Midlands £163.49

• East of England £142.31

Source: Coram Holiday Childcare Survey

Ms Gauge has two children aged 11 and nine and runs her own outsourcing company SpareMyTime.

"When I talk to my team, 17 are working mums and with the cost of childcare being so high you're having to compromise on options. It's the kids who lose out," she said.

She said playdates were helpful "because you're not asking for a favour, you're looking after kids of friends one day, then they look after yours the next".

But she said not everyone has friends and family they can call on: "There are so many people out there who are stuck and feel desperate."

Amelia Peckham will spend more than £2,000 on four weeks of summer holiday childcare

Amelia Peckham lives with her husband and their two boys, aged five and three, near Harrogate in North Yorkshire.

The 37-year-old set up Cool Crutches to improve the design and usability of walking aids after breaking her back.

She pays herself a minimum wage of £1,020 per month and dividends based on profit.

But she usually spends around £1,800 a month on childcare and summer holidays will be even more costly.

"The fact is you just suck it up, grit your teeth and get on with it," she said.

This summer holiday she will pay for four weeks of childcare:

• A fortnight's holiday club at nursery for her eldest - £450

• Football camp for a week (not including food) - £250

• Sports camp for a week (not including food) - £280

• Four weeks at nursery for her youngest - £1,040

• Total - £2,020

For the last fortnight of the summer holidays the family are going away together. "The holidays are always a juggling act but the most important thing is that the kids are safe and comfortable," she said.

What help is available for childcare costs?

• Flexible working All employees have a right to ask for it and if granted changing your hours could save you money on childcare

• Unpaid leave It's not ideal to lose pay but many of us would pay more in childcare through the holidays than we would earn at work

• Universal credit childcare funding Working families with this benefit can claim up to £951 a month for one child or £1,630 for two or more

• Care to Learn Parents under 20 in England, who are at school or sixth form college, can claim weekly payments under this scheme

• Holiday activities and food programme Local authorities offer summer clubs for children in England who receive benefits-related free school meals

Read more: What childcare help is available?

Coram is calling on the government to do more to support families during school holidays.

In England, a Department for Education (DfE) spokesperson said it was "rolling out the single biggest investment in childcare in England ever".

The government currently offers parents of some 3-5 year-olds 30 free hours of childcare per week and this will now be extended to younger children gradually. However, the support only applies during term time.

The spokesperson also pointed to the DfE's holiday activities and food programme and said it was also investing £30m in short respite breaks for families of children with special needs and disabilities.

The Welsh government said it provided 30 hours of funded childcare a week for up to 48 weeks a year for three and four-year-olds of eligible parents and this included some holiday provision.

It also has schemes called Playworks and the Food and Fun' School Holiday Enrichment Programme.

The BBC has approached the Scottish government for a response.