What is HAF?
The Department for Education has provided funding for wide-ranging enriching activities that build character, resilience and wellbeing or develop skills alongside providing nutritious food within the school holidays.
Haringey’s principles of delivery are:
- Positive, memorable and happy holiday experiences that demonstrate the value of every person
- Impacts that last beyond the holidays
- Experiences that reach parents and families through children and young people
- Building on, and enabling, trusted relationships and Haringey’s strengths
- Collaboration, partnership and “blend” across a wide range of organisations and engaging with children, young people and families throughout
- Joined-up locality offer - particularly in areas of higher deprivation
- Tailored approaches for primary and secondary ages with a key focus on SEND
- Joining-up with school holiday and education recovery programmes
- Delivering an incredible Christmas programme.
We are keen to deliver all aspects in partnership with communities, providers and local organisations and to support organisations based within the same local area to collaborate on a joined-up offer for children and young people in their area.
What does it mean for children to be eligible for benefits-related free school meals?
There are two forms of free school meals, universal and benefits-related.
- Universal infant free school meals are available in Reception to Year 2, regardless of income.
- Benefits-related free school meals are available to children throughout their time in full-time education on the basis of their parents/carers benefits entitlement.
Parents of children in Reception to Year 2 are also encouraged to apply for free school meals, if they may be eligible as this allows the school to draw down on additional funding for that child called ‘pupil premium’ and then their eligibility has already been assessed in readiness for year 3.
This programme is targeted at children eligible for benefits-related free school meals in Reception to Year 11.
Can children who aren’t eligible for benefits-related free school meals or not of school age attend?
We encourage all school holiday providers to make their activities available to all children, reserving a set number of spaces for children with HAF codes to book for free.
Unfortunately, we are unable to fund the delivery of places for children who are not eligible for benefits-related free school meals through the Department for Education grant (unless specify approval has been given, as part of the 15% non-FSM cohort.