£600m to extend holiday activities programme
The government has confirmed £600 million to extend the Holiday Activities and Food programme for another three years.
The programme supports children from lower-income families by providing free meals and enriching activities during school holidays.
School-aged children from reception to year 11 who receive benefits-related free school meals are eligible.
Andrew Forsey OBE, National Director of Feeding Britain said: "Today’s news will be welcomed by hundreds of thousands of parents across England.
"The support provided to children from lower incomes through the Holiday Activities Fund HAF eases the pressure on family budgets during the school holidays, enhances their access to enriching and physical activities, and gives them a healthy meal each day during the school holidays.
"This delivers a raft of benefits for children and their families, so it is excellent news that the government is extending this provision for a further three years.
"Knowing that this support will continue to be available, for the next few years, will lift a weight off their shoulders."
Since 2022, the programme has provided 10.7 million activity days to children and young people.
Read moreLatest News
22/10/2025 - 09:45
Outlined in the Skills White Paper, plans include proposals for new V-levels, a vocational alternative to A-levels and T-levels, as well as a “stepping stone” qualification for students resitting English and maths GCSEs.
21/10/2025 - 09:56
Free specialist training is being made available to teachers in Wales to give them the knowledge to understand and respond to the challenges faced by adopted and care experienced children.
20/10/2025 - 09:52
Members of the newly formed Youth Select Committee have launched a call for evidence as part of their inquiry into Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) Education in secondary schools.
20/10/2025 - 09:37
A new report from the Education Policy Institute (EPI) warns that the current system for registering children for Free School Meals (FSM) is failing to reach many of the most disadvantaged pupils.
17/10/2025 - 10:25
The government has announced a mandatory reading test for all children in year 8, which it says will help identify gaps early and target help for those who need it, while enabling the most-able to go further.
