CBC-1851-T-TH HAF - Holiday Activities and Food Programme

On August 28th, 2025, the government announced a further investment of over PS200 million per year over the next 3 financial years for the Holiday Activities and Food programme (HAF). The Department for Education (DfE) confirmed that it will be providing funding to local authorities to coordinate a programme that provides healthy food and enriching activities to eligible children during the Easter, Summer and Christmas Holidays for the next three years starting April 2025. Central Bedfordshire Council has been allocated funding to support over 7,000 children per year who receive free school meals.

Full details of the HAF programme can be found on the Gov.uk website. gov.uk/government/publications/holiday-activities-and-foo... Research has shown that the school holidays can be pressure points for some families. For some children this can lead to a holiday experience gap, with children from low-income households being:

• less likely to access organised out-of-school activities.
• more likely to experience 'unhealthy holidays' in terms of nutrition and physical health.
• more likely to experience social isolation. The HAF programme is a response to this issue, with evidence showing that free holiday clubs can have a positive impact on children and young people, and that they work best when they:
• provide consistent and easily accessible enrichment activities.
• cover more than just breakfast or lunch.
• involve children (and parents) in food preparation.
• use local partnerships and connections, particularly with the voluntary and community organisation sector.

This specification is for activities to run during the designated school holidays as indicated by the DfE for the three financial years starting from April 2025. All children who are in school year R (Reception) up to year 11 who attend a school in Central Bedfordshire and who receive benefits related Free School Meals will be eligible to attend a holiday programme in Central Bedfordshire. To provide the high-quality enriching activities to our pupils, Central Bedfordshire Council are seeking to engage with suitably qualified and experienced organisations to provide well organised fully inclusive multi-sport, creative, and enriching holiday club activity camps in various locations across the authority for eligible children and young people within this age range.

Clubs should be accessible for all children and young people that meet the criteria including those with additional special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) Overall, local authorities are expected to offer the equivalent of 6 weeks' holiday provision to eligible children as indicated by the DfE in the core offer guidance as detailed below and on the DfE HAF webpage. Additional information: Is a Recurrent Procurement Type? : No