The British parents using £15-a-day French summer camps for childcare

I frequently grumble about the price of childcare in the UK, especially compared with other European countries. But rather than complaining, some smart parents are simply making the most of European prices – by taking their children to holiday clubs in France and Belgium, rather than here. While UK summer holiday childcare costs families an average of £191 weekly, rising to £226 in the south east, according to figures by children’s charity Coram, the price in France is closer to £60 to £80 for the week. Most camps include three course meals, too. Meanwhile, parents get to spend time in mainland Europe while working remotely or taking a break themselves. Many families combine clubs with their own family holidays. The huge plus is that their children return home with excellent language skills. Claire Crowley, a communications specialist and solo mum who lives in London with her son Dominic, almost 14 and daughter Henrietta, who is five, has been taking her children to holiday camps abroad each summer since her son was two. “My kids really enjoy the clubs,” she says. “My children might think they’re doing a sports club, or going out to explore, but in my mind it’s a week long French lesson – and most of them only cost £80 per week.” They’ve visited chateaux, museums, aquariums and vineyards by private coach, been ice skating and swimming, and had performing artists come in for specialist workshops. “It’s always really structured with a clear rhythm to the day. The food is extraordinary, too,” she says. “In France, they have mouthwatering menus.” Shorts Her son’s favourite was a week-long football course run by Paris St Germain, booked through a company called Urban Soccer. Claire says it was more expensive but approximately a quarter of the price of UK-based Paris St Germain camps and those run by other premier league teams in England. “There was a kit on arrival with each child’s name; the children had a tour of the stadium and team photos,” she says. Claire’s son spent the first two years of his life living in France before they moved home to London, and she wanted her five-year-old daughter to have the same chance to become fluent. Over the past four years, they have started travelling to Belgium in the summer, where they have friends, and this week her children are at a club in Brussels. It costs £105 for the week and runs from 7.30am to 5.30pm each day. Unlike the French camps, parents send their children in with a healthy packed lunch. “They ask you to bring a sandwich, fresh fruit and veg – they’re not expecting children to arrive with crisps,” she says. Her son is enjoying learning Flemish and her daughter is picking up multiple languages from the children who come from across Europe. “I didn’t grow up speaking another language and I think it’s so cool that both my children are,” she says. This week they have been doing a swim camp. “My youngest is already far more confident in the water with me, swimming under water as well as above.” It all means that the summer holidays feel easier, more fun and much cheaper. “Each year we either stay with friends, at another friend’s empty flat when they’re away, or at an AirBnb so we can overlap and catch up too. We combine it with a family holiday. Otherwise, it would be impossible to cover the 30-day summer holiday with our annual leave, which is 25 days for the entire year.” Claire says that for the camps in Belgium, they request the address where the family are staying, while in France camps often require more documentation, including ID, indemnity insurance and medical papers. ‘All the staff went out of their way to make sure the children felt included and they were very warm to them,’ says Nathalie Barnetche Parents-of-three Nathalie Barnetche and Rob Powell, who live in Hove and are good friends of mine, are also big fans of French holiday camps, commonly known as Centre de loisirs. They are bringing up their children Rémy, seven, Inés, five and Odetta, one, to speak French and have taken the eldest two to camps while visiting family in France. “It was brilliant and so affordable at £12 a day from 8am to 6pm for us as tourists,” Nathalie remembers. “For local families, they are subsidised at around €8 a day. We’ve done it twice, once the summer before Rémy started school and once the summer before Ines started; I thought it was a nice way to start introducing them to a school structure. “The first year it was brilliant, the children and staff spoke to Remy only in French which was exactly what we wanted. He ate a three course meal at lunch and said all the food was delicious. There were lots of sports in the playground, trips to the beach, journeys out along cycle paths. I also really liked the emphasis on Basque culture, with games of Pelota [a Basque ball sport], which would be different in each region.” Their second experience was slightly more mixed. “Inés went with Rémy and her two cousins. When the younger summer staff realised they spoke English, they wanted to practice their language, so it backfired a bit as they didn’t speak much French – but you can’t have it all. All the staff went out of their way to make sure the children felt included and they were very warm to them.” She said that all they needed was an address in the local area and indemnity insurance in case your child breaks someone else’s glasses, for example. I hope that the UK government looks overseas to see how much childcare support parents are given. Meanwhile, there is some support here for families who receive free school meals: the government offers free holiday club places, with lunch provided, through the HAF (Holiday Activities and Food) programme. But this is not extended to all working parents. So for those who can afford to travel, this model seems like one brilliant solution to the stressful summer holiday juggle British parents face each year.