School was holding your schedule together
People underestimate this until the first summer. The school day anchors the handoffs, provides the childcare, and gives the week its shape. Take it away for six weeks and a rotation that worked perfectly all year suddenly needs both parents to solve childcare, activities and transport at the same time — while also wanting to take a holiday.
| Approach | What it looks like | Best when |
|---|---|---|
| Keep the term rotation | Nothing changes; handoffs move to a home or a camp | Both parents work through summer and childcare is local |
| Longer alternating blocks | One or two weeks with each parent in turn | Either parent wants to travel, or camps run weekly |
| Split the break in half | One long block each across the whole holiday | Long-distance travel, or family visits abroad |
Longer blocks are what most families move to, and the reason is practical rather than emotional: you cannot book a week away, or a week of camp, around a rotation that hands the child over every three days.
What to settle by spring
All of these depend on each other, which is why leaving any one of them until June tends to unravel the rest.
- The pattern for the break. Which of the three approaches, and the exact dates each block starts and ends.
- Holiday weeks, both parents. Who is away when, so annual leave and flights can be booked without a clash.
- Camps and childcare. Which weeks are covered by whom, who books, and how the cost is split.
- Travel details. Destination, dates, and contact arrangements. Agreed in advance, including any passport or consent paperwork.
- The return to term time. The date the normal rotation resumes, plus who handles the back-to-school shopping.
Keep contact through the long blocks
A two-week block is a long time for a younger child, and it is a long time for the parent who is not there. A short call at a predictable time — same time each day, kept brief — takes most of the strain out of longer blocks. Agree it upfront so it is part of the plan rather than an interruption.
Bottom line: Summer removes the school structure your handoffs rely on, so decide the pattern by March or April. Longer alternating blocks are what most families move to; settle childcare and who pays for it before booking any holiday, and agree a daily contact time for the long blocks.