What is HAF?
The Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme has become one of the most effective ways of supporting children and families during the school holidays. Every year, it provides nutritious meals, enrichment activities and safe spaces for children who might otherwise go without.
For many families, HAF is much more than a holiday club. It eases pressure on household budgets, helps parents balance work and childcare, and gives children opportunities to play, learn and socialise during the school holidays.
What is the current issue?
Thanks to the Government’s change to free school meal eligibility, from September 2026 every child whose family receives Universal Credit will now receive free school meals. This is a welcome change that will ensure hundreds of thousands more children can access a healthy meal during the school day.
However, current plans are not set to see HAF eligibility expand alongside free school meals. Instead, it will remain linked to the previous, more restrictive eligibility criteria.
This means that 500,000 children and young people who will receive free school meals during term time will not qualify for holiday meals and activities going forward.
At Feeding Britain, we believe this link must be maintained. If a child needs support during term time, they also need support during the school holidays.
“For every child we support, there’s another three missing out.” – HAF provider, Merseyside
Support Shouldn’t Stop when School Ends
The expansion of free school meals recognises a simple truth; more families need help with the cost of food.
Those financial pressures don’t disappear when schools close. In fact, for many households, the school holidays are when budgets are stretched the furthest. Families lose access to free school meals while facing higher food bills, childcare costs and the expense of keeping children occupied over several weeks.
If a child qualifies for support during term time, it makes little sense for that support to disappear during the holidays.
Maintaining the link between free school meals and HAF would ensure children receive consistent support throughout the year.
“Having access to a free place has allowed the children to experience a safe, structured and enjoyable environment, helping them build confidence, make friends, and fully take part in holiday activities.” – HAF provider, London
HAF is Far More than Food
Food is at the heart of HAF, but it is only one part of the programme’s success.
Holiday clubs provide children with opportunities to take part in sports, creative activities, outdoor learning, cooking sessions and educational experiences that many families simply couldn’t otherwise afford.
These activities improve children’s physical and mental wellbeing, reduce social isolation and help prevent the learning loss that can occur over long school holidays. This is especially apparent for teenagers and young people for whom the development of additional employability skills can be particularly valuable.
Parents and guardians benefit too. HAF provides trusted accessible childcare that allows many parents and guardians to work.
Removing access to HAF means children lose much more than a meal. They lose opportunities to stay active, build friendships and develop new skills.
The Risks of a Confusing System
For years, the connection between free school meals and HAF has provided a clear and straightforward means of identifying eligible children thereby reducing unnecessary administration.
Breaking that link creates confusion and risks placing unnecessary administrative burdens on schools, local authorities and grassroots HAF providers. This will take them away from the vital delivery of services and also risks creating unrest and resentment within communities and towards community organisations.
“A simple system reaches more families. A complicated one risks leaving children behind. This is so confusing for parents and the HAF club or council is going to have to check the eligibility of all children, even those who have attended in the past. This will take time and therefore cost money, when we should be focusing on ensuring as many children as possible can attend HAF. Really, it’s the tail wagging the dog.” – HAF provider, Northumberland
Investing in Children’s Future
HAF is not simply a holiday club. It is an investment in children’s health, wellbeing and future.
By tackling food insecurity, encouraging healthy lifestyles and providing enrichment opportunities, HAF helps children return to school ready to learn. It also strengthens communities and supports working families, reducing pressure on other public services over the longer term.
The Government has already recognised that more children need support by expanding free school meals. Extending HAF eligibility to match that decision is the logical next step.
What now?
The expansion of free school meals is a landmark achievement that will make a real difference to families across England.
But that progress risks being undermined if children lose access to holiday support.
Every child and young person who qualifies for free school meals should also be able to access the Holiday Activities and Food programme. Maintaining the link between free school meals and HAF is the simplest, fairest and most effective way to ensure children receive the support they need throughout the year.
As the Government prepares to implement its expanded free school meals policy, we are calling on ministers to protect the success of HAF by keeping the two programmes aligned. Please consider signing our petition to support this call: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdm30ZK8Auf_96PKLpM2pj591XjQ-YKjJVT5xExadYR1raGFg/viewform
Children and young people need consistent support; both in school and during the holidays.
You can read more about the case for keeping the link between free school meal entitlement and access to the Holiday Activities and Food programme via our briefing: https://feedingbritain.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Feeding-Britain-HAF-Briefing.pdf