Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme
Since 2018, the 'Holiday Activities and Food' programme has provided free support to children and young people in receipt of free school meals in the main school holiday periods. The Department of Education leads the HAF programme. HAF provision comes in all kinds and forms - ranging from music production and podcasting sessions, to football clubs, basketball tuition, design classes and drama workshops. The DfE stipulates that all young people and children attending must be provided one meal (preferably a hot meal) and requests that all HAF providers deliver an offer of at least 4 hours a day, 4 days a week through the holidays. For this coming Summer, providing your child is eligible, you can access at least 16 days of free provision. Some HAF sites offer the minimum 4 hours per day, while others offer much more.
To get an idea of the level of available capacity, opening days, opening times and what's on offer at each site, the Plinth website is a one-stop-shop for all this information.
The Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme is primarily for school-aged children (from Reception to Year 11/ages 4 - 16) whose families receive certain benefits. To qualify, a child must be in receipt of benefits-related Free School Meals, which could mean their parent or guardian receives one of these:
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Universal Credit (with an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400)
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Income Support
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Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
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Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
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Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
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The guaranteed element of Pension Credit
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Child Tax Credit (with no Working Tax Credit) if the annual income is less than £16,190
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Working Tax Credit “run-on” (received for 4 weeks after stopping eligibility for Working Tax Credit)
There might be other qualifying circumstances too, if you're interested in whether you do qualify, you can check eligibility through the DfE’s online checker.
When it comes to SEND HAF provision, the same priority is granted to SEND young people and children who are benefits-related FSM-eligible. Therefore, SEND HAF places are prioritised for children and young people who:
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Have SEND (diagnosed or not yet diagnosed)
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Are eligible for benefits-related Free School Meals
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Have limited access to other support during the school holidays (e.g. Short Breaks)
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Have additional vulnerabilities identified by a professional (social worker, school etc.)
The number of HAF spaces on offer each holiday are always limited. We advertise Camden spaces on the Plinth website in order to try and make the registration process as equitable as possible. Still, some HAF providers prefer it if sites reach out to them directly to book spaces with them. We're always seeking to engage with families that have not come across HAF yet - in 2025/26 only an average of 11% of Camden's FSM-eligible children and young people attended HAF.
