As Nursery World reported last week (14 August), BMRB research carried out for the DCSF found that the number of holiday clubs fell by 9 per cent between 2006 and 2007 to 5,800, following a sharp rise in numbers between 2003 and 2006.
The number of places in holiday clubs dropped by 13 per cent to 230,000.
Jackie Nunns, director of Kids City, which runs three London holiday playscheme with 160 children a day in Wandsworth and Lambeth, as well as out-of-school childcare, told Nursery World they would like to run more holiday clubs but were prevented 'partly because of funding, partly access to school buildings and building work taking place in children's centres during the holidays. We're working with schools who want us to run services but they haven't enough money.'
However, she added that the clubs were doing well this year.
Ms Nunns claimed that some schools ran limited provision, for example, using extended schools funding to run clubs from 3.30 to 4.30pm, and were not open 48 weeks a year.
'Money is not ring-fenced - they don't have to prove that they have used it for extended services. It's a shambles. Until schools are compelled to meet targets, they won't.'
Ms Nunns also said grant-giving organisations were less likely to give money to charities running out-of-school care because there was a perception that Government was 'paying for everything'.
Private provider KOOSA Kids runs six holiday clubs on school sites in Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire, and will see around 6,000 visits this summer with around 40 children a day. They also run out-of-school clubs for 60 schools.
Director Lee Partner said they did not have access to extended schools funding. 'You don't see the money as a provider.'
He added, 'A lot of money could be being spent on administration and extended schools co-ordinators rather than on the end user. We draw funding through local authorities via Sure Start but it's a quarter of what it was four or five years ago. It's not enough to set up a club.'
While he said KOOSA Kids numbers had grown, he suggested that some holiday clubs could be affected by the credit crunch.
'Parents have less money in their pockets and it could possibly be that they have less to spend on holiday childcare, so there are fewer non-working parents using holiday childcare.'
A DCSF spokesperson said,'Any apparent reduction in holiday clubs would be disappointing, but this report does not show the whole picture, as it does not cover extended schools, which are increasingly offering clubs in the holidays as well as in term time. Currently over 12,000 schools are providing extended school services, so this picture will improve as we make all schools extended by 2010.'
But BMRB said that the survey sample for holiday clubs came from daycare providers classified as 'out of school' providers by Ofsted, which, unless they were registered in a different way, would have included extended school provision.