The holiday activities and food (HAF) programme is specifically targeted at children and young people eligible for free school meals (FSM) from households with annual earnings of £7,400 or less, focusing on families facing the greatest levels of disadvantage. The department is spending more than £200 million a year to provide free nutritious meals, enriching activities, and safe environments to eligible children during school holidays. This benefits their health, wellbeing and readiness to learn, with more than 500,000 children benefitting from HAF over the last year.

To ensure HAF reaches as many children who need it as possible, local authorities may also use up to 15% of their funding to provide free or subsidised places to children who do not meet the eligibility criteria but who the local authority believe could benefit from HAF, such as those with special educational needs and disabilities or other additional needs.

HAF sits alongside wider support for low-income families, including the expansion of FSM, free breakfast clubs, and broader action through the child poverty strategy.