The Holiday Activities and Food Programme (HAF) provides funded holiday activities for eligible children.
The programme is a great way for your child to have fun during the school holidays. Eligible children have the opportunity to:
- make new friends
- take part in a variety of exciting activities
- have a healthy meal each day
Each activity session lasts for a minimum of four hours a day for:
- four days in the Easter holiday
- sixteen days in the summer holiday
- four days in the Christmas holiday
See what activities are taking place on our Family Information Service website.
Eligibility
HAF is for school-age children from reception to year 11 (inclusive).
The eligibility criteria is the same as it is for receiving benefits-related free school meals. This doesn't mean you are eligible for the programme if you receive free school meals automatically for your primary school child through the Mayor of London's free school meals programme. Instead you need to qualify and make an application.
For full eligibility details and to make an application, see: Free school meals.
To receive your HAF voucher in time, you need to apply at least two weeks before the holiday. You only need to apply once in the school year. The summer holiday is at the start of the scool year, not the end.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Your child is eligible if they are in full-time education and meet the other elibigility criteria.
Yes. You will be able to apply for free school meals up to the school closing for the summer. Once the school is closed, they will not be able to issue the voucher.
This means you should appy as soon as possible if you are eligible but have never applied before.
The vouchers are only distributed to parents of children who both:
- are eligible for benefits-related free school meals
- have made an application
All primary school children get free school meals through the Mayor of London's free school meals programme. This is not related to benefits and you don't need to apply.
If you're eligible, you need to apply for benefits-related free school meals to get vouchers for the holiday programme. You don't get them automatically because there has been no eligibility check for free school meals through the Mayor's programme.
Over summer holidays, the eligibility for each child is 4 hours a day for 4 days a week for 4 weeks.
Over Easter and Christmas holidays, the eligibility for each child is 4 hours a day for 4 days.
However, some of the providers have longer hours included in the day.
You can expect to hear something from your school about your voucher around a month before the holiday begins.
If you do not hear from the school, speak to the school office and they will be able to provide support if your child is entitled to benefits-related free school meals.
Once your voucher has been received through the online evoucher system, you will be able to follow the link from that voucher to view all the activities available for the holiday. It is one voucher code that has either 4 or 16 credits, depending on the holiday. If you have more than one child, you will receive a voucher for each child.
You can find details of the activity choices on the evoucher system when booking. For further information visit our Family Information Service website.
The voucher can be used for any of the activities running across the borough. You can filter the activities based on your preferences.
Yes. When booking, you can filter activities to show you:
- which activities are closest to you
- type of activities
- dates available
You can access any of the provision across the borough. If you require help and you can not find a place for your children please email HAF@Hounslow.gov.uk for support.
No money will be provided in place of your voucher. There is a wide variety of exciting activities on offer so do make sure that you have discussed the options with your child.
Absolutely. Children with SEND children are welcomed at many of the activities. Please make sure that you give as much information as possible about your child’s needs ahead of time so the provision can be sure they can meet your child’s needs and be staffed appropriately.
You can't carry over unused vouchers from one holiday to the next. Your child is entitled to four credits in the Easter and Christmas holidays and 16 credits in the summer holidays.
You can access support if your voucher is not working by contacting support@holidayactivities.com.
If you need support with anything else, please contact the HAF team on HAF@Hounslow.gov.uk.
