Planning school holidays across two homes

Start with the school calendar

Most schools publish term dates well in advance. Adding them to a shared calendar at the start of the year gives both homes the same starting point.

• Half terms, Christmas, Easter, and the summer holiday
• Inset days and early finishes
• Known events such as family celebrations or planned trips

Decide how each holiday is shared

Different holidays often suit different arrangements. A long summer break might be split into halves, while a single festival day might alternate from one year to the next. Agreeing the pattern for each holiday once saves renegotiating it every year.

• Alternate each year, so each home has the holiday every other year
• Keep it fixed, so the same home has that holiday every year
• Split the break, with the first half in one home and the second half in the other
• Share the day, where both parents are present for part of it

Write down which pattern applies to each holiday, and note anything that should carry forward to next year, such as a change of school or a family event you already know about.

Share the plan in one place

When holiday dates live in separate diaries, small differences turn into confusion. One shared schedule means both homes, and older children, can check the same plan.

Parenting Apart shows the custody schedule in a calendar that both parents see, including handover days. Its holiday schedule sets how each holiday is shared: alternating each year, fixed with the same parent, split into first and second halves, or spent together.

Share travel plans before you go

When a holiday involves travel, the other home will want to know where the children will be and how to reach them.

• Destination and dates
• Flight details if you are flying
• Where you are staying
• A phone number that works while you are away

A travel notification in Parenting Apart sends these details to the other parent, who can approve it, and the trip appears on the shared calendar.

Handle requests to swap days

Plans change. A clear way to ask for a swap, with the dates and the reason in writing, lets the other parent reply in their own time.

1. 1Ask as early as you can, with the exact dates you would like to change.
2. 2Offer an alternative day where that is practical.
3. 3Confirm the outcome in writing so the calendar stays accurate.

Swap requests in Parenting Apart record the dates, the reason, and whether the request was approved or declined.

Common questions