Holiday Activities and Food Programme (HAF) Important Update

Published: 14 December 2023

Information was recently sent out about the Holiday Activities & Food Programme, which many schools shared with families. Part of the process for families to apply for a place at a winter holiday club is to apply for a code to evidence their eligibility for Free School Meals, which is the main criteria for the clubs.

We have received a large number of applications for codes, which is positive and shows that messages are getting through to the families most in need. However, due to some unforeseen circumstances, there have been some challenges in processing applications. To ensure that no families in need miss out on a holiday club place, support from schools is needed. An email with a template letter has been sent to all schools to be shared with your families in receipt of FSM. The email explains that as a temporary measure, your school can issue a school specific code to your FSM families to ensure they can apply for a place over winter.  

Once families have this code, they can book a place directly with a HAF provider. The letter does state that this is a temporary code for winter only, and families wanting to access a HAF club from Easter onwards will still have to complete a full application at https://forms.office.com/e/vEzBxnZ7Ck or via a paper application form which will be distributed to all schools in the New Year.

Please look out for the email and letter template which explains the full process, or to request another copy of the information please contact derbyHAF@derby.gov.uk.  Thank you for your continued support of the Derby HAF programme.

Education