Home Education and learning Early Education and Childcare Holiday activities and Food programme (HAF)
SECTION MENU

Holiday Activities and Food Programme (HAF) 2026

Free Government-funded holiday clubs with healthy meals for children who are claiming benefit-related free school meals.

Information for HAF providers interested in delivering a HAF programme

Application for Summer and Christmas HAF programme funding are open

 

Apply here

 

 

 

Application forms must be submitted by 11:59pm Sunday 17th May.

  • Summer HAF will run within Wednesday 22nd July 2026 - Sunday 30th August 2026
  • Christmas HAF will run within Saturday 19th December 2026 – Sunday 3rd January 2027

Open day

 

Join the Open Day on 11 May, 12-2pm for new and returning HAF applicants to learn about the programme, the application process, increase participation training, and networking. Contact haf@towerhamlets.gov.uk to book your place.

 

Delivering in park spaces

Planning to run your HAF programme in a Tower Hamlets park or open space? You must:

  • Get permission from the Arts, Parks and Events team by emailing: festivalsandevents@towerhamlets.gov.uk
  • Fill out the online Park Hire (PH1) application form at least six weeks before your programme starts even if funding hasn't been confirmed yet.

Key points to remember:

  • Late applications may not be accepted.
  • Park space is limited. Only one club may be allowed per park.
  • Always have a backup location in mind.
  • Parks must stay open to the public. You cannot book exclusive use.
  • Apply early to secure your spot. You can cancel later if needed.

Guidance

  • Summer HAF Funding Guidance will be uploaded before applications open.
  • Before applying, please read the guidance. It covers the rules, eligibility criteria and requirements for the grant. This will help you prepare a good application and ensure compliance with the grant's terms.

  • There are changes to this application process that will allow providers to apply to either the Summer programme only OR both Summer and Christmas programmes. This FAQ will give clear guidance on what these changes are and how they affect applicants.

Answer:
Applicants can now choose to apply for funding for both the Summer and Christmas programmes, or for Summer only, depending on their planned provision.

A certain amount of funding will be ringfenced for a further application later in the year for applicants want to run just Christmas 2026-27.

Further, applicants will now be asked to create an account and draft event with the booking system Plinth. The event will not be visible to the public and can be edited later.

Answer:

No, your choice of programme will not affect the scoring of your application.

Applications will not gain or lose points based on whether you apply for summer only or for both Summer and Christmas.

Please simply select the option that best reflects your intended delivery.

Answer:

If applicants are unsuccessful in this round of applications, there will be an application later in the year to run only the Christmas 2026-27 Programme.

Unsuccessful applicants or those who missed the deadline can apply there.

Any unsuccessful Christmas applicants that meet a reasonable scoring threshold during the Summer 2026 application round will have their applications placed on file and be able to bid later in the year for the remaining funding for Christmas 2026-27 through a short expression of interest form.

New applicants for the Christmas 2026-27 Programme will be able to apply later in the year with a new application that mirrors the annual grants process application to ensure equity of opportunity.

 

For any further queries contact haf@towerhamlets.gov.uk

HAF report

The Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) report details how we performed in the last year.

Read the annual report



 

Answer:

The HAF (Holiday Activities and Food) programme is a government-funded initiative. It aims to provide healthy meals and fun activities to children during the Easter, Summer and Christmas holidays.

The programme supports families with children on benefits-related free school meals. This is different from the universal free school meals for all Tower Hamlets children.

Answer:

The HAF programme is for children and young people aged 4 to 16 on benefits-related free school meals.

In contrast, universal free school meals are available to all children, regardless of income. However, benefits-related meals are limited to those in families receiving certain benefits.

Answer:

A HAF code is a unique ID for each eligible child to join HAF activities. Children in Tower Hamlets who get free school meals and attend school will automatically receive a HAF code before holidays. HAF codes are issued by the council, not schools.

Answer:

Apply online: Visit the free school meals page and complete the application. You’ll need to provide details about your income and benefits.

Start the free school meals application form

Seek support: Schools can help you with the application process. Apply early as the registration can take some time to be processed and reflected in the system.

Answer:

Yes. Your child must be receiving benefits-related free school meals for your child to be eligible for the HAF programme.

Answer:

You should receive confirmation that says your child has been registered for benefits-related free school meals. You should provide a copy of this confirmation to your club when you register to access a free space.

Answer:

The HAF programme offers activities for physical, creative and social growth. These include sports, arts and crafts, music, drama, cooking, workshops and trips.

Answer:

Visit the Holiday activities and Food provision (HAF) page for updates and detailed information.

You can also contact local community centres or schools that are participating in the programme or check out the Tower Hamlets Local Offer.

Answer:

Condition For Processing Personal Data

It is necessary for us to process your personal data (name, address, contact details), under the GDPR article 6 task carried out in the public interest and consent

 We will also collect Special category data such as (health, personal and household circumstances) under article 9 Medical, Health or Social Care and Explicit consent.

How long do we keep your information?

We will only hold your information for as long as is required by law and to provide you with the necessary services. This is likely to be for 7 years after the case is closed. For further details, you can view our Retention Schedule.

We may also anonymise some personal data you provide to us to ensure that you cannot be identified and use this for statistical analysis of data to allow the Council to effectively target and plan the provision of services. 

Information sharing

Your personal information may be shared with internal departments or with external partners and agencies involved in delivering services on our behalf. As stated above this will include the Department of Education. 

Your Rights

You can find out more about your rights on our Data Protection page and this includes details of your rights about automated decisions, such as the ranking of Housing Applications, and how to complain to the Information Commissioner.