Teach Primary Issue 18.7

Laurence York School holidays could become much more challenging for low-income families from next year premier-education.com The HAF is under threat and needs our help VO I C E S F or many families, school holidays – particularly the long summer break – can prove to be incredibly tough. Even without additional childcare costs, parents and carers may struggle to afford the nutritious food and enriching activities that their children need. One source of reliable – and most importantly, free – childcare, which includes a variety of activities as well as food, is the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme ( tinyurl.com/ tp-GovHAF ). But this invaluable scheme faces closure... What is the HAF? The HAF programme was set up by the DfE in 2018. It enables children who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals to attend holiday camps for free during the Christmas and Easter breaks and for part of the summer holidays. This eases the financial burden holidays can bring to families, and ensures children have nutritious meals as well as fun and friendship. It also allows parents to work, by offering a safe, secure and enriching childcare provision. Why is it important? Schools are so often lifelines for children from low-income families. They are places of safety, security, routine and stimulation, not to mention the all-important food provision. School holidays can put vulnerable children at risk if low-income families aren’t given the support they need in terms of both childcare and food. Since the launch of the HAF, hundreds of thousands of children from low-income homes have benefited from positive, fun and varied experiences during school holidays. What the future holds The scheme was only planned to be funded for five years, meaning that at the end of the financial year (March 2025), it will cease to operate. But the impact of the HAF cannot be overstated. This is particularly true for food-insecure households, where the absence of free school meals can lead to ‘holiday hunger’, exacerbate existing inequalities, and negatively impact children’s overall physical health and wellbeing. Children who participate in the HAF programme return to school healthier, happier, and more prepared to learn. They benefit from the social interaction and physical activity provided by the camps, and their families receive crucial support in the form of activity, childcare and nutritious meals. Meanwhile, the new government is yet to provide any clarity on how – or whether – the scheme will be replaced. What you can do You’re not responsible for your pupils during school holidays, of course. But you undoubtedly want to support families all year round and limit any potential ‘learning loss’ that school holidays can result in. There are some key things you can do to help struggling families: •●Inform parents about the benefits of the HAF programme. ●•Encourage those families who would benefit the most fromHAF to enrol, guiding themwhere necessary. (Your local authority can advise you.) •●Help put pressure on the new government, asking them to provide clarity on the scheme’s renewal or replacement as a matter of urgency. Contact your local MP and ask for a response. •●As soon as the government provides an update on the future of the programme, help to promote it among families at your school so they are clear on the opportunities available. •●Make sure vulnerable families are aware of other support services, such as Turn2us ( turn2us.org.uk ) , The Trussell Trust ( trusselltrust. org ), Place2Be ( place2be.org.uk ) and Healthy Start ( healthystart.nhs.uk ) . Ultimately, the timing of this programme coming to an end couldn’t be worse. Sky-high food and energy costs, as well as eye-watering interest rates, mean families – even those with reasonable salaries – are having to make difficult choices. Without some urgent clarification on the future of the HAF, schools have no way of knowing if their pupils are potentially going to suffer during school holidays. TP Laurence York is head of growth at Premier Education. www.teachwire.net | 13