Are your kids missing out on free holiday activities and food?

More than two million children in England can access free holiday clubs, fun activities and a hot meal during the school holidays, thanks to the holiday activities and food (HAF) programme.

But research by Money Wellness has found that about 1.4 million children missed out on free holiday clubs last year, despite being entitled to them.

What is HAF?

HAF is a government-funded programme offering primary school children from low-income families:

• nutritious meals
• enriching activities
• free childcare places

It runs during the Easter, summer and Christmas holidays, with councils expected to provide the equivalent of six weeks of face-to-face activities each year.

But when we submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to 130 local authorities, we found that an average of just one in three (35%) kids were taking advantage of the scheme.

“The families we work with are stretched to breaking point over the summer,” said Adam Rolfe, policy and public affairs officer at Money Wellness.

“No childcare, no school meals, bills still coming in. 

“HAF was designed to help exactly those families. 

“The fact that most of them never get a place isn’t a data quirk; it’s a failure of delivery.”

A postcode lottery

Our findings suggest that where you live does make a difference.

For example, in Haringey, 90% of eligible children attended at least one session. 

But in Norfolk, where there are nearly 30,000 eligible children - just 9% did.

And although attendance is low overall, the vast majority of councils (90%) applied waiting lists, caps or both. 

Although HAF is designed to cover six weeks of holidays, at least 17 councils put a limit on how many sessions each child could book - typically four days at Easter and Christmas and around 16 in summer. 

The consequence of that is that most eligible children never attend.

Government must do more to boost HAF take-up

Money Wellness are calling on the government to take steps to get more families using the support that’s available, such as:

• setting a national minimum expectation for HAF take-up
• requiring all councils to offer non-digital booking options
• making councils publish consistent and comparable attendance data, so those with low take-up figures can be held to account

“Waiting lists and caps make sense when budgets are tight,” Adam says.

“But they are a rationing system for a programme that is supposed to reach every child in poverty. 

“And as booking moves entirely online, the families who struggle most with a smartphone or a booking portal are the ones getting left behind.”

Check your eligibility

HAF is open to primary school children who receive free school meals during term time.

Councils can also use up to 15% of their funding to support families who aren’t on free school meals but would still benefit.

If you think your child might qualify, or you simply want to see what’s available, visit your local council’s website to check eligibility and find out how to book a place.

Remember though that most councils don’t actually use the term “HAF” itself, so when you’re searching online, search your council’s name plus a term like “holiday activities” or “summer holiday programme”.

If your council doesn’t offer digital access, or you’re struggling to use the booking system, ask to be referred by your child’s school, a health visitor, or a local family support worker. 

And if no space is left, ask your council what else is available. 

Many areas have extra holiday provision run by schools, churches or local charities outside the official HAF programme, and some food banks run holiday-specific support for families who can’t access a place.

Help is available and no family should miss out on support that’s there for them.