Childminder costs over school summer holidays as high as £1,800, research finds
Working parents who depend on childminders to look after their children during the British school summer holidays face bills of as much as £1,800 for six weeks’ childcare, according to new research,A survey by the children’s charity Coram found families in inner London can expect to pay an average of £306 a week for a holiday childminder, compared with a British average of £234 a week,Holiday childminder costs in Wales and Scotland are marginally higher – £249 and £238 a week respectively compared with £233 in England – but British families will have to find about £1,400 to cover the six-week break,It is the first time the survey, now in its 20th year, has included childminder costs during the holidays, which are published alongside annual data provided by local authorities on the cost and availability of places in holiday childcare clubs,The latest data reveals holiday childcare club costs in England, Wales and Scotland have risen by 4% in the last year, with working parents now facing an average bill of £179 per child per week – more than two and a half times the cost of term-time after-school clubs – totalling £1,075 for the six-week break.
It also reveals significant shortages of places, particularly for children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send),In England, only 9% of councils have sufficient places for 75% of children with Send in their area,In the East Midlands, the east of England and inner London, not a single council could meet that commitment,Coram said many councils in England did not have a clear picture of whether they had enough holiday childcare, with half or more responding “data not held or cannot tell”,Lydia Hodges, the 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.“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.”She added: “Availability of holiday childcare is an ongoing issue and without a clear picture of how much holiday childcare there is in each area, we cannot be sure that children – particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities – are not missing out.”The charity is calling on the government to provide more funding, training and support to holiday childcare providers to meet the needs of children with Send.
Arooj Shah, the chair of the Local Government Association’s children and young people board, said: “While councils recognise the importance of ensuring there is sufficient provision available for children with Send, it can be difficult to ensure the right provision is available, particularly given the challenging situation that many providers face at the moment.“Councils work closely with providers to improve access to holiday childcare provision for children with Send, but without investment and recruitment of quality staff this will be difficult to deliver.”A government 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.
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Tour de France 2025: Pogacar blows field away on stage 12 summit finish in Pyrenees – as it happened
That’s the lot for today. Merci for reading, and for your emails. Can anyone stop Pogacar? It’s looking highly unlikely. Bye for now.Tuck into our snap stage 12 report here:On or near the podium, Macron and Pogacar shake hands
Tour de France: Pogacar demolishes rivals with devastating stage 12 win in Pyrenees
Tadej Pogacar dominated Jonas Vingegaard on the slopes of Hautacam to take a commanding lead in the Tour de France. After the first summit finish of 2025, the defending champion’s next overall victory now appears an inevitability. Pogacar beat his rival to the ski station finish by well over two minutes and now leads the Tour by more than three and half minutes, with nine stages remaining.Pas de suspense, the French would say, and after the Slovenian’s eighth career stage win in the Pyrenees, Vingegaard is scrambling to sustain a meaningful challenge. If Pogacar had been scared when crashing in Toulouse, 24 hours earlier, he showed no ill effects as he dealt a lethal blow to Vingegaard’s aspirations under a fierce Pyrenean sun
Twelve-year-old Chinese swimmer takes stunning times to world championships
A 12-year-old swimmer has qualified for the world championships in Singapore after her performance at China’s nationals placed her times among the world’s elite this season.Yu Zidi’s 200m butterfly time was one of the fastest globally and would have narrowly missed out on an Olympic medal last year. She also posted a competitive time in the 400m individual medley, close to an Olympic podium pace.Yu’s times are quicker than Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh at the same age. McIntosh, now 18, holds the world records in both medley events and won three Olympic gold medals last year
Welsh wipeout in Lions squad for first time since 1896 reflects sorry decline
When the British & Irish Lions last won a Test series in 2013, Leigh Halfpenny scored a record 49 points and fellow Wales international Sam Warburton captained the side to glory in Australia with Warren Gatland coaching. Twelve years on, for the first time since 1896, not a single Welsh player will be represented in the Lions’ matchday squad for Saturday’s first Test in Brisbane.Jac Morgan’s omission is a sign of rugby’s decline in Wales in recent years, a far cry from the glorious 1970s when household names like Gareth Edwards, Barry John and JPR Williams were indispensable figures.There was always a distinct possibility of a Welsh wipeout though, with scrum-half Tomos Williams, one of only two Wales players on the plane to Australia, already out with a torn hamstring. However, the Lions coach, Andy Farrell, refused to play into the narrative, claiming Morgan was “as close as you could imagine” to getting selected
Victorian regulator weighs unprecedented intervention in AFL’s fight with bookmakers over gambling revenue
The Victorian gambling regulator is considering whether to make an unprecedented intervention in a dispute between the AFL and bookmakers, which could set a limit on the league’s revenue from wagering.Earlier this year, the AFL proposed a significant increase to the amount of money it receives from each bet placed on its game. The league also proposed a minimum $20,000 annual fee for all bookmakers, including small operators who focus on racing.Leaked documents seen by Guardian Australia revealed the cash grab was justified as a way to address what AFL executives termed an “unprecedented” increase in “integrity risks” posed by the wagering industry, which has exploded in popularity in recent years.The documents outlined concerns the AFL’s integrity system was seriously deficient and struggled to identify whether players, coaches and staff were using inside information to manipulate betting markets, in breach of their contracts
Lions still on red alert despite gaping holes in Australia’s team sheet | Robert Kitson
Sometimes the best place to gauge the mindset of a head coach before a big game is not the training pitch or the press conference room but the pub across the road. Which is where Andy Farrell and his wife, Colleen, were enjoying a relaxing post-team selection drink by an open window when a few of us happened to wander past en route back from dinner.There may be a huge contest looming but, the closer it draws, the more at ease Farrell is beginning to look. While the competitor in him loves the approaching whiff of cordite he is not a man who believes in sitting and fretting in his room before major contests. He likes to be out and about, getting a sense of the local mood and helping to fill the quiet before the storm
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