In December, I published Part 2 of my Independent Family Review. As part of the Review, I have also published numerous Annexes in support of the main report, providing further details and insights into our new research, including our findings from The Big Summer Survey (TBSS). Today, we are publishing a webpage for children across the country to explore, showcasing the findings from the survey alongside links to key resources and ideas for activities to enjoy with family.
In total, over 15,800 children responded to TBSS across England, from 800 schools across all regions of England. In the online survey, the CCo asked children aged 7-17 how they spent their school break and who they spent their time with. The survey also asked children about their family and who they would turn to for support with family life. Some of the key findings from the report are outlined below:
- 89% of children enjoyed all or most of their summer holiday and 89% said they enjoyed all or most of the time they spent with family.
- 17% of children that responded to TBSS thought they had not spent enough time with their family in the 4 weeks preceding responding to the survey.
- The majority of children (79%) told us that they spent time reading, writing, or doing art during the summer holiday. Younger children (age 7-11) and girls were significantly more likely to spend time doing these activities with their family members.
- Overall, 73% of children who responded to TBSS used social media during the summer holidays of whom 88% used social media alone, including 54% of children aged 7-12 and 85% of children aged 13-17.
- 72% of children would turn to their parents for support with family life.Children who wouldn’t turn to their parents were most likely to turn to their friends for support (45%), 25% of children didn’t know who they would turn to and 23% said they would turn to other relatives such as grandparents or extended family.
As reflected in Part 2 of the Family Review, the responses to TBSS shine a light on the importance of family, friends, and school staff when in need of support with family life and highlight variation in access to outside spaces and places to safely spend time with family and friends, both online and offline.
