Connect Parents' & Carers' Survey on Activities, Clubs and Childcare (Before/After School and School Holidays)

As the summer holidays approach, we are keen to hear your experiences and views about the kind of childcare, clubs or organised activities your family needs or uses for your children. This is also known as ‘out of school childcare' and includes:

before or after school (or nursery/early years settings) - this is sometimes called ‘wraparound care,’ and can include specific activity or after school/breakfast clubs.
Childcare/activities in the school holidays.

This survey mostly focuses on formal, organised out of school childcare/activities and we ask about this formal childcare in the school holidays and during termtime. We are keen to identify whether formal provision meets the current needs of families as the childcare needs of families have been on the political agenda in recent years. Your responses will help us campaign on this.

This survey will close on Friday 29 May 2026 and should take approximately 10 minutes to complete.

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* 1. Which local authority area do you live in?

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* 2. How many children do you have?

6 or more

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* 3. What stage/age is/are your child/young person?

0 to 2 years

Early years (3 to 5 years)

P1 to P3

P4 to P7

S1 to S4

S5 to S6

18 or over

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* 4. What is your ethnicity?

Prefer not to answer

White / White British

Asian/Asian British

Black/African/Caribbean/Black British

Mixed/Multiple ethnic groups

Other ethnic group (please specify)

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* 5. Please describe your household if you wish to.

Prefer not to say

My household has two or more adults in it

My household is a single parent household

Other (please describe your household)

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* 6. Please describe your status/situation by selecting one of the options below.

Prefer not to say

I work full time

I work full time from home

I work part time

I work part time from home

My usual role is as the main carer for my child/children; I do not have paid employment

I am self-employed/have my own business

I am unemployed

Other (please specify)

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* 7. Does one or more of your children have additional support needs?

Prefer not to say

Yes

Don't know

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* 8. Which best describes the area where you live?

Urban

Rural

Types of Out of School Childcare – Formal, Informal and Meeting Family Needs

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* 9. Do you have informal (unpaid) help with childcare (ie from friends or family)?

Yes

Don't know

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* 10. Does your family use formal (organised) out of school childcare (eg breakfast, after school, holiday or holiday activity clubs)?

Yes

Don't know

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* 11. If you currently use out of school childcare, does this meet your family’s needs?

Yes, all of the time

Most of the time

Somewhat

Don't know

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* 12. Thinking about why your family needs out of school childcare, please choose from the following reasons (you can select more than one).

So that I can work (during school term, usually before and after school care)

So that I can work (during holidays, usually holiday clubs)

So that I/we can carry out other caring responsibilities

For health reasons

To provide respite for myself/us

To create opportunities for my child to socialise

To create opportunities for my child to learn new skills

To create opportunities for my child to have fun

Other reasons (please explain)

Out Of School Childcare: Availability and Making Choices

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* 13. What type of formal provision is available in your area, and which types do you use?

	Available and we make use of it	Available but we don't use it	Not available	Don't know
Breakfast clubs	Breakfast clubs Available and we make use of it	Breakfast clubs Available but we don't use it	Breakfast clubs Not available	Breakfast clubs Don't know
After school clubs (childcare, supervised homework)	After school clubs (childcare, supervised homework) Available and we make use of it	After school clubs (childcare, supervised homework) Available but we don't use it	After school clubs (childcare, supervised homework) Not available	After school clubs (childcare, supervised homework) Don't know
After school activity clubs (eg sports, music, art, wildlife)	After school activity clubs (eg sports, music, art, wildlife) Available and we make use of it	After school activity clubs (eg sports, music, art, wildlife) Available but we don't use it	After school activity clubs (eg sports, music, art, wildlife) Not available	After school activity clubs (eg sports, music, art, wildlife) Don't know
School holiday clubs (childcare)	School holiday clubs (childcare) Available and we make use of it	School holiday clubs (childcare) Available but we don't use it	School holiday clubs (childcare) Not available	School holiday clubs (childcare) Don't know
School holiday activity clubs (eg sports, art, wildlife)	School holiday activity clubs (eg sports, art, wildlife) Available and we make use of it	School holiday activity clubs (eg sports, art, wildlife) Available but we don't use it	School holiday activity clubs (eg sports, art, wildlife) Not available	School holiday activity clubs (eg sports, art, wildlife) Don't know

Do you know of any other formal provision not mentioned here? If so, please describe.

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* 14. What is the most important factor that goes into choosing the out of school childcare your family uses? (Select only your top priority)

Affordability

Convenience

Word of mouth

Quality eg inspection reports, past experiences or reviews

Qualifications and experience of providers

Location

Type of provision

Other (please specify)

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* 15. What other factors go into choosing the out of school childcare your family uses? (You can select more than one)

Affordability

Convenience

Word of mouth

Quality eg inspection reports, past experiences or reviews

Qualifications and experience of providers

Location

Type of provision

Other (please specify)

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* 16. What are the barriers to using out of school childcare, if any? (You can select more than one)

Cost

Availability

Cannot accommodate my child’s additional support needs

Lack of transport

Does not provide food/snack

Previous negative experiences

Previous negative experiences of others (friends, family)

Other (please specify)

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* 17. Thinking about out of school childcare you cannot currently access, what type of childcare would you use if it was available to you?

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* 18. Are there opportunities for parents to have input into what provision is available locally eg survey from your local authority? If yes, please give details in the comment box.

Yes

Don't know

Comment box

Out of School Childcare - During the School Holidays: Provision and Cost

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* 19. Who provides the out of school childcare that you use during school holidays? (You can select more than one)

Local authority school/early years centre (ELC) my child attends

Local authority (not in the school/ELC my child attends)

Private school/early years setting

Private provider

Third sector early learning centre

Third sector or community organisation

Childminder

Playgroup

Family centre

No-one as my family does not use formal childcare during school holidays

Other (please specify)

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* 20. In total, how much do you generally spend on out of school childcare during school holidays for your children per year

Nothing, because my family does not use it

Nothing, because my family qualifies for free childcare

Up to £100

Between £100 and £300

Between £301 and £500

Between £501 and £700

Between £701 and £1000

Between £1001 and £1300

Between £1301 and £1500

Between £1501 and £2000

Between £2001 and £3000

More than £3000 (please state)

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* 21. Are you aware of any free or subsidised out of school childcare, lunch/play schemes or activities provided by your local authority in the school holidays?

Yes

Don't know

If yes, please describe

Out of School Childcare - During Term Time

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* 22. Who provides the out of school childcare that you use during term time? (You can select more than one)

Local authority school/nursery

Local authority outside the school

Private school/nursery

Private provider

Third sector nursery

Third sector or community organisation

Childminder

Playgroup

Family centre

No-one as my family does not use formal out of school childcare in term time

Other (please specify)

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* 23. In total how much do you generally spend on out of school childcare during term time for your child(ren) per year?

Nothing, because my family does not use it

Nothing, because my family qualifies for free childcare

Up to £100

Between £100 and £300

Between £301 and £500

Between £501 and £700

Between £701 and £1000

Between £1001 and £1300

Between £1301 and £1500

Between £1501 and £2000

Between £2001 and £3000

More than £3000 (please state)

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* 24. Are you aware of any free or subsidised out of school childcare or activities provided by your local authority during term time?

Yes

Don't know

If yes, please describe

Other Comments

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* 25. Do you have any other comments you would like to make on out of school childcare provision in general?

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* 26. If you would like to receive emails from Connect about this survey and other updates about parental involvement in Scottish education, please add your email here.