Over Half of UK Parents Admit that Extra Curricular Activities Cause Financial Strain on their Family

One in three are forced to use activities as part or all of their wraparound care programme 

Half terms is upon us already and as schools break out, working parents are faced with that all too familiar dilemma of what to do with their children whilst on holiday and that’s after forking out on average over £20 per week on extra curricular activities during term-time.

A recent research study, commissioned by Satsuma found that whilst over 50% of UK parents struggle with the financial strain of these activities; one in three actually have no option but to stump up for sessions as they form all or part of their wraparound care programme as working parents.

The study also found that some parents with two children of primary school age were forking out as much as £360 per month to put their children into after school club, and that’s not including extra curricular activities.

Surprisingly, 6 in 10 parents admitted to never having taken the time to look at other cost effective solutions, due to lack of time and energy to research them, however those who had looked at alternatives had suggested that instead of sharing parenting responsibilities with friends and families, the ideal solution would be to secure more flexible working hours. 

The good news is that almost all parents who took part in the research study agreed that the additional experiences were benefitting their children socially, physically and mentally.