Co-parenting · school holidays
How to split the school holidays when you're separated.
The holidays should be the best bit of the year for your children — not the thing you dread sorting out. Here are the fair, common ways separated parents split the school holidays in the UK, how to handle the tricky ones, and a free template to make it simple. Plan it once, keep it where both homes can see it.
- Fair & simple
- UK school terms built in
- Both homes, one plan
The common patterns
The fair ways to split the holidays.
There's no single “right” split — the best one fits your children's ages, your work and the distance between homes. These are the four patterns UK families reach for most.
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Alternate the big ones
Take it in turns year to year for Christmas, Easter and the summer weeks, so each parent gets the special days on a fair rotation.
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Split each holiday in half
Divide the summer (and longer breaks) down the middle, with a clear midpoint handover. Good when both of you want some of every holiday.
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Week-about
Alternate whole weeks through the longer holidays — predictable, and easy to plan childcare and work around.
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First-half / second-half, alternating yearly
One parent has the first half of summer this year, the other next year. Simple, and visibly fair over time.
Pick a pattern, write it down, and keep it flexible — a plan that bends a little is one you'll both actually stick to.
The tricky ones
Summer, Christmas and the special days.
A few of them need a bit more thought than “take a week each”. Here's how most families handle the ones that cause the most back-and-forth.
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The six-week summer
Too long for one handover — most families split it into two or three blocks, or alternate weeks, and agree childcare cover for working days early.
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Christmas
Usually alternated year to year, or split around Christmas Day and Boxing Day so the children see both of you. Decide it well in advance — it's the one that causes the most stress late.
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Half-terms & Easter
Often alternated, or simply attached to whoever's “off” on the rota that week. Low-stress once the pattern's set.
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Birthdays & special days
Birthdays, Mother's Day and Father's Day are worth naming explicitly, so they're never a surprise and never a clash.
Keeping it calm
A few things that make it easier.
The plan matters less than how you hold it. These small habits keep the holidays about the children, not the logistics.
Plan early — especially summer and Christmas, before flights and childcare get booked up. Put it in writing so memory isn't the referee. Build in a little give-and-take, share the childcare and holiday costs fairly, and — as the children get older — keep their voice in it too. None of it has to be perfect; it just has to be clear.
Keep it living
Keep the holiday plan where both homes can see it.
A plan only works if you both have it. ParentGlow's shared calendar has UK school terms, INSET days and bank holidays already in — so you can drop the holiday pattern straight onto real dates.
Both homes see the same thing, and changes get agreed without the back-and-forth. Write the plan once, keep it current, and let the calendar do the remembering.
Honest pricing
One plan covers both homes.
The holiday template is free and yours to keep. ParentGlow — the calm place to keep it living — is one subscription that covers both parents and the wider circle you choose. No per-parent charge.
Bring the calm home.
Free during early access — one email when it's your turn, that's it.
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