Hampshire Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) frequently asked questions

What is HAF?

The Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme is funded by the Department for Education (DfE) to provide free engaging activities and nutritious meals during the school holidays to children from Reception to Year 11 (inclusive) who would normally receive benefit-related free school meals (FSM). Hampshire County Council delivers HAF schemes through the connect4communities programme. You can find out more about the HAF programme on the DfE website.

Who is eligible for HAF?

Our scheme is primarily for children and young people in year R to year 11 (inclusive) who live and/or go to school in Hampshire and receive benefits-related free school meals (FSM). You can check your FSM eligibility via the Online FSM Application. If you are unable to get confirmation via the OFSM application, we can also accept confirmation via email from your child’s school of their FSM status.

Benefit-related free school meals are not the same as Universal Infant Free School Meals that all Reception, Year One and Year Two pupils are entitled to. More information on free school meals, including how to apply and receive this support.

Are any other groups eligible for HAF?

Local authorities have discretion to use some of their funding to provide free or subsidised holiday club places for children who are not in receipt of benefits-related FSM but who the local authority believe could benefit from HAF provision. This may include, for example:

children with Education, Health and Care Plans
children and young people referred by a social care professional
children who have low attendance rates at school or who are at risk of exclusion, referred by a school
children of recognised refugees with no recourse to public funds
a recognised Ukrainian family under the Homes for Ukraine programme
other forms of vulnerability, by explicit agreement with the HAF team

The HAF team will review the child’s discretionary place request, and you may be asked to supply additional information to confirm eligibility before approval. Your booking will be held until the discretionary place has been approved. Please note, discretionary places are limited and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Are Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) the same as benefits-related free school meals (FSM)?

No – all children in Key Stage 1 (Reception, Year 1 and Year 2) are automatically entitled to a meal at no cost when they start school, but these are not the same as the benefits-related FSM that entitle children to a free HAF place. Families can verify their FSM eligibility by completing the Online FSM Application form for each child requiring a HAF place or they can check directly with their child’s school.

When do HAF schemes run?

Hampshire County Council HAF schemes currently run during the February half term, Easter, summer, and winter school holidays.

What activities are offered at HAF schemes? Is it just sports?

Our HAF schemes include a range of engaging activities, such as arts and crafts, free play, trips out, and more. Even though each HAF provider will have a slightly different focus, they will all be scheduling a mix of enrichment, educational and physical activities, along with the food provision as part of the HAF scheme.

Guidance from the Department for Education (DfE) states that HAF sessions should include at least 60 minutes of varied physical activity to support overall fitness and health. Our physical activities are designed to be inclusive, recognising that a lot of children might not like sports, so are often physical games rather than only playing football for example.

Our case studies and annual HAF reports offer an insight into some of our past scheme deliveries and we are always open to feedback from families regarding our HAF offer and how we can continuously improve.

What food will my child be offered?

Our HAF providers are required to supply a healthy, hot meal for free, and can cater for children with specific cultural, religious, and allergy-related dietary requirements. Any dietary requirements for your child must be declared when booking and before the HAF scheme starts.

Do you offer schemes for children with SEND?

We run many HAF schemes across Hampshire that can accommodate children with additional needs. Please visit our Hampshire HAF booking system to browse local schemes – listings can be filtered by age and SEND provision and you can also use the Map View to narrow down schemes in your area. Each listing has details of SEND Accessibility measures on offer at that scheme under the SEND Accessibility Checklist section.

When a parent/carer books a place on a chosen scheme, there will be a series of questions where the booker can add details about the support the attendee requires. The provider will then review the booking request and may be in touch for further details if required. Families can also reach out to a provider directly to enquire further about the support they offer by selecting the Contact Mentor button on the listing.

We also partner with the Short Breaks Programme in Hampshire, which enables children and young people with disabilities or additional needs to join in with safe and fun activities, including during the school holidays. Although it operates in a slightly different way regarding eligibility checking, it is well positioned to work with children with more complex needs. Find more information about the programme on the hants.gov.uk webpages or contact the Short Breaks team directly by emailing [email protected].

How does Hampshire County Council ensure HAF providers offer a safe environment?

All HAF providers have been awarded their funded places because they have demonstrated to the Hampshire HAF team that they will provide and maintain a safe environment in which to participate.

Check with the activity providers to see if you should remain on-site or nearby for the duration of the activity.

How do I book a HAF place?

From summer 2026, HAF schemes are booked via a centralised booking system - instead of booking directly with each provider, all bookings will now be made through the Eequ online platform. As part of the booking process, you will be asked to provide information about your child, including any medical or additional needs, to help providers offer the best possible support. Find HAF schemes running in your area

Do I still need a HAF booking code?

No. From summer 2026, the booking system will confirm eligibility automatically, so you will not need a separate HAF booking code. When you first access Eequ, you will need to create an online account and set up a profile for each child before you can book.

My child meets the criteria for a discretionary HAF place, how do I book HAF schemes?

Once bookings open, you can browse local HAF schemes and book your child’s place(s) by selecting the HAF Eligible Child ticket during the checkout process, identifying which discretionary criteria you meet. The booking request will then come through to the HAF team to review via the booking system.

In reviewing the reason provided, we may hold records that can confirm your child’s eligibility but we may also contact you via [email protected] for additional clarifications before we can confirm eligibility.

Bookings will be held until approval is confirmed and the activity provider has accepted the booking, so you will not lose your child's place while their eligibility is being verified.

Please note, from September 2026, all discretionary places will be reviewed during each holiday period. Your child’s discretionary eligibility will need to be re-confirmed when booking upcoming HAF schemes.

How many places can I book for my child?

In order to maximise the number of children who can benefit from the programme, each eligible child will have an initial limit on the number of funded HAF sessions they can book during each holiday period. The limit will be set ahead of the start of each delivery period but will likely be in the following ranges:

Easter holidays: 4 - 6 sessions per child
Summer holidays: 16 - 20 sessions per child
Christmas holidays: 4 - 6 sessions per child

I don’t have access to the internet, how do I book HAF schemes?

If you are unable to access the booking system online, please contact the HAF team via [email protected] and we will help you get set up or explore alternative ways to support your booking.

Why is my child showing as not eligible for HAF?

There are a number of reasons we may not be able to match your child’s details to existing school records of free school meal eligible children, for example:

You may not have applied for benefit-related free school meal status.
Your child may go to school that is outside of the Hampshire County Council area (e.g. Portsmouth or Southampton).
The school your child goes to may not have updated their free school meal records.
Your child may fall outside the range of age-qualifying criteria.

If you believe your child should be eligible for HAF, please contact the HAF team with written evidence of their benefits-related FSM eligibility.

Can my child attend HAF schemes if they haven’t started school yet?

No – the HAF programme is only open to children from Reception to Year 11, inclusive. Children who have not started school yet are not eligible to attend and their booking will be declined. This is the guidance specified by the Department for Education, who fund the HAF programme. We are unable to make exceptions where the child's age is either below or above the threshold.

Other childcare support for families not eligible for benefits-related FSM

If you are not eligible for HAF funded places or would like to pay for additional holiday sessions on top of your funded HAF places, you may be eligible for alternative childcare support:

Families can use tax free childcare vouchers to pay for extras such as breakfast or late pick up at Ofsted-registered HAF schemes only.
Find out how you can save money on your childcare: Childcare Eligibility Checker
Find out more about the available childcare support: Childcare & Early Years Education
Childcare support guidance for Hampshire families: Help with paying for childcare
If you pay for childcare while you go to work, you may be able to claim back up to 85% of childcare costs through Universal Credit: Universal Credit childcare costs - GOV.UK
Other general resources for Families and Carers: Families and carers

I don’t live in Hampshire; can I still attend a Hampshire County Council HAF scheme?

Each local authority has its own HAF programme, and you should reach out to your local HAF team in the first instance. You can find your local authority by inputting your postcode into the Find your local council - GOV.UK website.

See our neighbouring counties’ HAF webpages:

Changes to FSM Eligibility from September 2026

From September 2026, the Department for Education is expanding Free School Meals (FSM) eligibility to all children in households receiving Universal Credit. There will be two tiers of benefits-based FSM:

Targeted FSM: Households earning £7,400 or less. These pupils attract the Pupil Premium and other disadvantaged funding.

Expanded FSM: Households earning more than £7,400. These pupils get free school meals only and do not trigger Pupil Premium funding for the school.

Please note, only children in receipt of Targeted FSM are eligible for free places on Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) schemes.

For summer 2026 HAF delivery, eligibility is based on a child’s FSM status for the 2025-26 academic year. With changes due to take place to FSM eligibility from September 2026, some re-checking of eligibility is due to start from 1 June 2026. Any changes to FSM status as a result of a re-check will only take effect from September 2026.

Confirmation of a child’s benefits-related FSM status for the 2025-26 academic year can be sent to [email protected] from their school.

In summary, families should be reassured that eligibility for summer 2026 will be based solely on a child’s confirmed 2025/26 FSM status, regardless of any re-checks taking place during this period.

If you would like more information or have a query about the Hampshire HAF programme, please email the HAF team via [email protected] with the subject line FAO HAF.