Derby Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme: Summer 2026

Deadline: 8am on 12 May 2026, no late applications will be accepted.

The application window for providers to apply to deliver HAF over the 2026 summer holidays is now open.

The Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme aims to provide enriching activities and a healthy meal for school-aged children who receive benefits-related free school meals (FSM) during the Easter, Summer and Winter school holidays. In Derby, the HAF programme is delivered by Derby City Council in partnership with Community Action. It is funded by the Department for Education.

The aim of this funding is to provide one nutritious meal each day and to make holiday clubs available to eligible children for four hours a day, for four days a week, as follows:

• for one week of the Easter school holidays
• for four weeks of the summer school holiday period and
• for one week of the winter school holidays.

This fund is open to schools, the voluntary sector and private providers who can meet the objectives of the programme. We would welcome joint applications from organisations working in partnership to offer children and young people holiday club experiences, ensuring that the diverse needs of children in our city are taken into consideration.

For Summer 2026, we are particularly interested in receiving applications from organisations that can deliver targeted holiday clubs for:

• Children who are in Reception and Year One in school - please note that this may require you to be part of Ofsted’s Early Years register
• Teenagers – we would be interested to receive applications for creative and flexible provision that would engage this age group
• Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, including those with complex needs
• Providers who can offer HAF funded and privately funded places
• Providers with the capacity to consider delivering year-round wraparound care to support Derby’s wider childcare offer.

For more information, please download the HAF Guidance - Summer 2026

To apply, you will need to register to use the Derby City Council myAccount system: Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) - myAccount