HAF Information for parents and carers

HAF is for School-Age children from reception to year 11 (inclusive).

There has been a changes made to the eligibility for the Holiday Activities and Food Programme, (HAF) and some families will no longer be eligible for HAF. This change reflects a national policy shift, rather than local decision-making.

HAF is a targeted holiday programme, not a direct extension of school meal entitlement. From September 2026, there will be two free school meals categories, and, HAF eligibility will remain linked to targeted Free School Meals (FSM), which aligns with current FSM threshold and is used to identify children facing the greatest levels of disadvantage.

Going forward, there will be 2 categories of benefits-based free school meals:

Targeted FSM, which continues to be based on the existing threshold, covering pupils in households in receipt of Universal Credit with annual household earnings of £7,400 or less

Expanded FSM, a new category covering pupils who do not qualify for targeted FSM, but who are in households receiving Universal Credit

For full eligibility details and to make an application, see: Free school meals.

We encourage families to reapply to ensure their eligibility is confirmed.

Questions to help parents and carers choose out-of-school settings - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

We hope that you and your child enjoy your chosen provision. Hounslow does monitor provisions compliance and quality however if you do have any cause for concern please follow these steps.