“Schools are basically acting as hubs of social support as well as learning,” he tells me.
According to Elliot Major, the reason UK state schools have a long summer holiday stems from the habit of private schools giving their pupils long breaks to allow for seasonal travel.
Today, wealthier families can also more easily afford to enrol their kids in sports camps, artistic activities and trips to cultural places during the summer break – all things that can make for a better education, says Elliot Major.
Local authorities often organise activities through their schools and libraries but many still require parents to pay a fee to enrol their children.
Bain, who lives in Cheshire and fosters children of varying ages, finds it tricky to keep them “motivated and entertained” for six weeks given their differing interests.
“You’ve got to go out and about and find free activities, as well as do paid ones,” she says.
Heptinstall, who lives in Yorkshire, has changed job since taking unpaid parental leave last summer and can now spend more time at home with her daughter.
She says her daughter often attends activity days, from arts and crafts experiences to woodland visits, but the cost varies depending on whether she is looked after for the length of a school day (£25) or the length of a working day (£35).
“We’ll pick and choose [activity days] that she wants to attend rather than it having to be a necessity because I’m working and need to find childcare for her,” explains Heptinstall. “I do appreciate we’re lucky in that sense.”
