More money for holiday activities and food scheme

A nearly £3.6m funding boost to provide free holiday activities and food for the most vulnerable children in Hampshire has been approved.

The money is from the Department for Education's (DfE) overall £200m funding for the holiday activities and food (HAF) programme funding.

The HAF programme addresses the challenges faced by low-income families during school holidays.

It runs approximately 150 schemes across England each holiday period and supports around 8,000 children and their families each year.

It aims to provide free places for children who are eligible for free school meals for at least four hours a day, four days a week, six weeks a year.

This includes four weeks during the summer and one week during Easter and Christmas holidays.

In January, the DfE announced that the programme would receive £200m in funding from 2025 to 2026.

Hampshire County Council has been allocated up to £3,599,700 from this total.

The programme would also continue to fund the "Hampshire short-breaks programme" and Hampshire libraries.

Since 2021, the number of children eligible for free school meals in Hampshire has increased by 26%, from 29,208 to 36,790 in autumn 2024.

With the funding, the council will be able to allocate 15% of funded places to other vulnerable children and young people who do not meet the criteria for the benefits of the free school meal.

The council's lead for children's services, Roz Chadd, said: "I'm really proud of the holiday activity and food programme. As a local authority, we deliver that with partners really well.

"I have the privilege to see the happy enjoyment of the young people who take part in those activities. It's just absolutely wonderful."

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