Stress-Free Child Arrangements During School Holidays
- Sarah-Jane Turnbull
- May 1, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Jan 13
School holidays are often a joyful time for children. However, for separated or divorced parents, they can bring additional challenges. Arranging child arrangements during breaks requires careful planning, clear communication, and a focus on your child’s needs.
From managing holiday childcare to planning trips or special activities, families face unique considerations. These include term dates, holiday travel rules, and the ever-changing school schedules. This blog offers practical advice to help create stress-free co-parenting plans that ensure your children have a happy and memorable holiday.
Why School Holidays Can Be Challenging for Co-Parents
School holidays disrupt regular routines, requiring parents to adjust and coordinate their plans. Common challenges faced by families include:
Disagreements over holiday plans: Deciding who spends time with the children and when.
Travel logistics: Managing family visits or holidays abroad, which may require written permission from both parents if traveling outside the UK.
Work schedules: Balancing work commitments and arranging suitable childcare during non-term time.
Creating a fair co-parenting plan for holidays can reduce these pressures and give children the stability they need.
Tips for Planning Child Arrangements for UK School Holidays
1. Plan Well in Advance
Planning early gives parents time to organize activities, book childcare, or holidays. It also helps avoid last-minute disagreements.
Review your child’s school term dates and identify key breaks, such as summer holidays, Easter, Christmas, and half-terms.
Discuss potential plans several months in advance. This ensures that both parents can make arrangements that work.
Early planning also allows children to understand the schedule. This knowledge helps them feel secure about their upcoming holidays.
2. Prioritise Your Child’s Needs
While both parents may have personal preferences, the priority should always be what’s best for your child.
Consider:
How to maintain stability for your child through familiar routines or traditions.
Opportunities for your child to enjoy quality time with both parents.
Activities that create fun, positive experiences. Options include a trip to the park, a family holiday, or simply spending time together at home.
3. Create a Balanced Schedule
A good holiday plan should provide both parents with meaningful time with the children. It should also take work and personal schedules into account.
Some approaches families use include:
Alternating weeks: For example, one parent may have the children for the first week of the summer holidays, while the other takes the second.
Splitting holidays: Divide key holidays like Christmas or Easter. This ensures both parents celebrate special occasions with the children.
Factoring in extended family: Ensure children can also see grandparents or cousins if that’s important to them.
Flexibility is key here. If one parent has fewer days off work during a break, the schedule can be adjusted. This ensures children have the best experience possible.
4. Address Travel Plans Early
If you or your co-parent are planning holidays abroad, it's important to keep the legal requirements in the UK in mind:
The parent traveling with the child usually needs written permission from the other parent.
Agree on travel dates, destinations, and itineraries well in advance. This helps avoid unnecessary conflict.
Mediation can help if you need support resolving disputes regarding holiday travel.
5. Use Mediation to Resolve Disagreements
When discussions about holiday plans become challenging, mediation provides a neutral and supportive space to work through issues.
Mediation offers:
A chance to create tailored holiday schedules that suit your family’s unique needs.
A child-focused approach, ensuring decisions are made in their best interests.
A way to reduce conflict and improve communication between parents.
How Mediation Benefits Families During School Holidays
Mediation is a cost-effective and collaborative way for families to resolve disputes about child arrangements, especially during busy periods like school holidays.
Key Benefits Include:
Child-Focused Solutions: Mediation ensures that your child’s well-being is the main priority.
Better Communication: Mediators help parents communicate more effectively and reduce misunderstandings.
Customized Plans: Mediation allows you to create plans that suit your family’s unique circumstances, from work commitments to travel logistics.
Legal Support: Agreements made in mediation can be formalized into a Parenting Plan or made legally binding if needed.
Client Feedback: Real Stories of Success
“Mediation gave us a way to agree on our summer holiday plans without constant arguments. The kids knew exactly where they would be, and we both got to enjoy quality time with them.”
“The mediator helped us create a Christmas schedule that worked for everyone. It made the holidays so much more peaceful for the children.”
How Pax Mediation Can Help
At Pax Mediation, our FMCA-accredited family mediators understand the challenges families face when planning for school holidays. We can help you:
Create balanced and practical holiday schedules.
Resolve disputes about travel, time-sharing, or special events.
Focus on child-centered solutions that reduce conflict and prioritize your child’s well-being.
📞 Call us: 0800 058 4303
📧 Email us: admin@paxmediation.co.uk
Take the Stress Out of School Holidays
With careful planning and the right support, school holidays can be a joyful time for both children and parents. Using mediation to develop child arrangements ensures a positive experience for everyone involved. If you’re ready to create a plan that works for your family, Pax Mediation is here to help.
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