Information for parents and carers

Last updated 5 March 2024

About the programme

The Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme is funded by the Department for Education. It funds holiday activities which include food for children during the Easter, summer and Christmas school holidays. We're working with local schools, voluntary and community organisations and childcare providers to deliver the programme across Stockport. Visit GOV.UK to find out more about the national HAF programme.

Eligible children will be able to access:

  • up to 4, 4 hour sessions throughout the Easter holidays
  • up to 16, 4 hour sessions throughout the summer holidays
  • up to 4, 4 hour sessions throughout the Christmas holidays

There will be no cost to parents for the sessions.

Some clubs offer longer sessions and some provide specific sessions for children with additional needs and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

Holiday clubs will include a nutritious meal each day. They will also include a variety of fun activities including sports, music, arts and other exciting opportunities to learn and develop skills.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a funded place, children must receive income-based free school meals.

If you think you might be eligible for income-based free school meals, but do not currently claim them, you can find information about how to apply on our free school meals webpage.

If you have any questions about the programme or if your child does not receive free school meals but you feel that you need to access a funded place, you can email the HAF team on HAF@Stockport.gov.uk.

How to find holiday activities

HAF is changing from Wednesday 6 December 2023

Stockport HAF is introducing a new booking system, HolidayActivities.com, which is part of eVouchers.com. This change means that you can find and book all the HAF clubs from one website, reducing the amount of time you spend looking for spaces.

To access this new website, you'll receive an email from hello@holidayactivities.com with your child’s unique voucher code and a link to the booking system. That link has the details of all of the clubs available across Stockport.

You will receive your children’s voucher code on Friday 8 March 2024 for the Easter holidays. From this date, you will be able to access the booking system to book your children’s space. You will not be able to access the booking system before this date.

If you need help to access the booking system, or you haven’t received a code for your child, you can email HAF@stockport.gov.uk.

Support during February, May and October half term holidays

The HAF programme is not funded to provide holiday clubs over the half term holidays but other activities and support may be available to families. You can visit the Childcare Directory to find out what is available in your area. Please note that these are not HAF funded programmes so we cannot guarantee availability.

Families who are eligible for Universal Credit may be able to claim back up to 85% of their childcare costs. You can find information about help with childcare costs on the GOV.UK website.

Further support

If you're struggling or in need of further support, you can find out about other services you can access on our cost of living support webpage.

You can find information about how we use your data in our privacy notice.

Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme