Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme

 

We have great news! The Department for Education has confirmed that HAF has been renewed for 2025-2026. 

 

There are free holiday club places available for children and young people eligible for free school meals. This opportunity is provided as part of the government's expanded Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme being delivered across West Berkshire, which also covers the Christmas holidays.

The aim of the HAF programme is to support children to eat more healthily, be more active over the school holidays and have a greater knowledge of health and nutrition, as well as being more engaged with school and other local services.

The scheme provides enjoyable activities and nutritious meals for primary and secondary school aged children who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals.

See the HAF Information Poster [3MB]  for full details. 

Click here for answers to our most commonly asked questions [142KB]

Check out our videos at the bottom of this page to learn more about what to expect at our HAF camps!

 

Read our HAF Annual Report 2023/24 [1MB]  and the positive impact it has made across West Berkshire. 

 

Getting involved - HAF 2025/26

 

Eligible children will be able to access sessions throughout the holidays, at no cost to you. The sessions will include a variety of fun and enriching physical activities, including sports, music, arts and other exciting opportunities to learn and develop skills, alongside a nutritious meal each day. Nutritional resources will also be made available to children attending the sessions.

The holiday club places will be available for the equivalent of at least four hours a day, four days a week, six weeks per year: one week in the Easter holidays, four weeks in the summer holidays and one week in the winter break. 

To find out if your child is eligible and how to book a place, please contact your child's school or contact the HAF team.

 

 

Easter 2025!!

 

Please note: West Berkshire HAF is now partnering with Holiday Activities, who will provide a centralised booking system. This means all clubs available to book for HAF provision will be in one place and accessible via a unique booking link that will be emailed to you. Please check your email inbox for your invite link to sign up and register.  Contact the West Berkshire HAF Coordinator if you have any queries or have not received your HAF voucher code.

 

We still have availability at the following sites for Easter HAF 2025 provision: 

 

• Adventure Dolphin - Pangbourne - both Primary age group [3MB] and Secondary age group (The Hangout) [5MB] sessions
• Elite Youth Sports - Park House School [4MB]
• Get Active Sports - Thatcham Park School
• Premier Education Multi-Activity HAF Camp - Birch Copse Primary School

 

Please note that your eligibility for HAF holiday places will be independently verified upon booking. Sharing codes is not allowed!

If you have any queries regarding the HAF programme, please contact our HAF Coordinator Hannah Lee via email hannah.lee1@westberks.gov.uk.

In addition to this programme, families who are eligible for Universal Credit may be able to claim back up to 85 per cent of their childcare costs, dependent on the club attended. To find out more, please visit the 'Help paying for childcare' page on the GOV.UK website.

West Berkshire Council is working with local schools, voluntary and community organisations, and childcare providers to provide the HAF programme. The free places are funded by the Department for Education.

You can find more information on the national HAF programme on the GOV.UK website, here. You can also read more about the programme on the government's Education Hub blog, here.
 

For queries related to Free School Meals, please contact the dedicated Free Schools Meals team.

If you are a provider looking to apply to deliver HAF provision, please contact the HAF Coordinator Hannah Lee hannah.lee1@westberks.gov.uk to discuss.

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HAF 2021, 2022 and 2023

Hundreds of children took part in HAF over holidays across West Berkshire. You can view our videos of the Easter and summer programmes using the links below:

• HAF Summer 2023
• HAF Summer 2023 Tech Camp
• Hungerford Primary School's video
• Whitelands Park Primary School's video
• Holiday Activities and Food Programme - Summer edition video

Advice on living and eating well

As part of the HAF programme we are sharing information and advice for parents on how to live well and eat well:

• Healthy sustainable diets - videos and recipes from the British Nutrition Foundation
• Full Time Meals - cook along on Facebook with chef Tom Kerridge and Marcus Rashford
• Healthier families - find easy ways to eat well and move more, recipe ideas, 10 minute shake ups and much more
• Eat them to Defeat them - recipes and activities
• Free meals for families  click here for more information [3MB]