Holiday Activities and Food 2024-25 annual report

The annual report provides you with the opportunity to give an overview of the HAF 2024-25 programme in your LA.

Your report should include:

• the overall funding from DfE that you have spent on the HAF programme
• the proportion of the funding that was spent on administration and a breakdown of how this was spent
• how many unique children you have reached in each holiday period
• the proportion of primary age and secondary age children who have participated in your programme
• the number of children with SEND or additional needs who have participated in your programme
• information on the families and carers you have engaged with through the food education, signposting, and referrals aspect of their programme
• which organisations are represented on your steering group
• which organisations you have worked with in delivering the programme
• any additional match funding you have received from organisations and or other government bodies that you have used on the HAF programme

Please also include:

• feedback from participants, their families, or carers
• results of any surveys
• case studies or particular highlights
• how you have promoted the programme and celebrated it through the media and social media
• any evaluations of your HAF programme (please provide links in your annual report)

The report for the 2024-2025 HAF programme should be submitted to DfE by 30 June 2025.

While LAs have flexibility in how they format and present their annual report, we have provided this document as a guide to help you structure your report. This is an optional template to use, you are welcome to produce your own report as you deem appropriate. Please complete and submit to haf.programme@education.gov.uk by 30 June 2025 When submitting your report please include a link to the relevant webpage you post it to.

Section 1 - LA details

Which local authority is this report about?

Staffordshire County Council

Section 2 - Highlights

In this section, you might cover how much funding you received and how it was spent and how many children you’ve worked with across the year. You might also include how many sessions you’ve delivered and which organisations you’ve worked with and provide details about who forms your HAF steering group and what the key strategies and themes have been for 2024-2025.

Introduction

In 2024–25, Staffordshire County Council received £2,417.623 to deliver the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme. We spent 9,431 Free School Meals-eligible children across Easter, Summer, and Winter holidays. Over £2.4 million in DfE funding was distributed to 52 third sector and private providers who delivered enriching and inclusive clubs county-wide. Highlights include:

• 9,431 FSM children engaged across three terms
• Daily nutritious meals and interactive food education
• Strong cross-sector partnership and growing digital access for families
• 726 enrichment sessions and wide-ranging physical activities
• 1,625 children with SEND were supported through targeted and inclusive provision
• Excellent case studies on the difference the programme made to families
• Working with education colleagues to support ‘Little Heroes Campaign’ to raise school attendance

No-shows and last-minute cancellations continue to be a challenge, and one provider lost 64 sessions overnight when a family of 4 cancelled in the Summer. Email reminders have been increased to reduce this going forwards.

Areas with low bookings were met with targeted responses, and the digital booking system provided 100% digital eligibility checks and an effective, efficient and user-friendly system for families, providers and the LA which provided real time data. This not only supported clean data analysis but ensured easy bookings for families and accurate attendance rates for providers.

The Staffordshire HAF Programme continues to embed equity, creativity, and wellbeing, enriching thousands of children’s holidays through safe, fun, and nutritious experiences.

Highlights of 2024/25

In 2024–25, Staffordshire received a total of £2,417.623 from the Department for Education to deliver the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme across Easter, Summer, and Winter school holidays.

A total of 9,431 Free School Meals (FSM)-eligible children attended activities over the three delivery periods of those 7,230 were Primary aged children and 2,201 were secondary aged children:

• Easter 2024: 2,931 (2,473 primary / 458 secondary)
• Summer 2024: 4,375 (3,207 primary / 1,168 secondary)
• Winter 2024: 2,125 (1,550 primary / 575 secondary)

A total of 1,625 children with SEND accessed provision:

• Easter 2024: 457 (346 primary / 111 secondary) 16% of total attendees
• Summer 2024: 787 (557 primary / 230 secondary) 18% of total attendees
• Winter 2024: 381 (262 primary / 119 secondary) 18% of total attendee

Funding was spent as follows:

• Grants to Providers: £2,221,441
• Marketing & Promotion: £9,211
• HAF Team & Administration: £186,971

We commissioned 52 providers from the VCSE sector, schools, and private organisations, to deliver holiday activities. Our steering group included representation from education, health, VCSE, police, DWP, and commissioning.

Examples by Season

• Easter:
  • Piloted SEND advisory support to strengthen inclusive practice.
  • Introduced booking system EEQU for real-time internal tracking.
  • Some providers used tasting passports to support healthy food exploration.
  • Launched updated provider onboarding guidance.
• Summer:
  • Expanded provision in low-uptake zones based on mapping analysis.
  • Delivered safeguarding and inclusivity training to providers.
  • Supported families to access ‘Savvy Schools’ numeracy support.
  • Worked with Adult Community Colleagues to promote ‘Savy Schooling’ to support parents with children’s homework
  • Worked with Education colleagues to promote ‘Little Heroes Campaign’ to promote school attendance.

• Winter:
  • Some providers worked with warm hubs and community food sites to promote engagement and support families over winter
  • Piloted a live MS feedback form for family and provider insights.
  • We funded Children to attend Christmas pantomimes with their families.

Key themes for 2024–25 included expanding rural access, increasing SEND provision and launching a new booking system which provided parents with a user-friendly system, improved use of digital processes with schools to enable them to support families with HAF codes and bookings.

Data sets

Individual children annual HAF attendance

Easter 2024

• Primary: 2473
• Secondary: 458

Summer 2024

• Primary: 3207
• Secondary: 1168

Winter 2024

• Primary: 1550
• Secondary: 575

Total 2024

• Primary: 7230
• Secondary: 2201

Individual children annual HAF attendance including SEND

Provision accessed by individual children

• Easter 2024
  • Primary: 2473
  • Secondary: 458
  • Total: 2931
• Summer 2024
  • Primary: 3207
  • Secondary: 1168
  • Total: 4375
• Winter 2024
  • Primary: 1550
  • Secondary: 575
  • Total: 2125

Provision accessed by individual children with SEND

• Easter 2024
  • Primary: 346
  • Secondary: 111
  • Total: 457
• Summer 2024
  • Primary: 557
  • Secondary: 230
  • Total: 787
• Winter 2024
  • Primary: 262
  • Secondary: 119
  • Total: 381

% of all attendees

• Easter 2024
  • Primary: 14%
  • Secondary: 24%
  • Total: 16%
• Summer 2024
  • Primary: 17% 
  • Secondary: 20%
  • Total: 18%
• Winter 2024
  • Primary: 17%
  • Secondary: 21%
  • Total: 18% 

Individual children referred by professionals

• Easter: 139
• Summer: 542
• Winter: 41
• Total: 722

List of providers for 2024/2025

1. A2B - Boxing, Martial Arts and Multisports
2. Achieving Goalz and Dreams
3. Active Future Wolverhampton 
4. AI, Coding, VR, Robot Club - Free HAF 3 (School of Coding)
5. Allsorts Holiday Club
6. ASM Sports UK LTD
7. Bee Active
8. Biddulph Community Zone - Stoke City
9. Burton Albion Community Trust
10. Burton Unity
11. Caudwell Children
12. Community Together CIC
13. ComputerXplorers
14. Crystal Academy: Aerial Arts and Dance CIC
15. Dizzy Heights HAF Youth Club @ St Chads
16. ECO Educating Kids Outdoors
17. Enjoying Creativity Outdoors
18. Everyone Active - East Staffordshire
19. Fulfen Primary School
20. Furry Friends Therapy
21. Gartmore Riding School BHS ABRS RDA
22. Genius Tuition
23. Greenwood Growth CIC
24. JG Tennis in Partnership with National Tennis
25. Knutton St. Mary's Holiday Club
26. Koala Klubs
27. Liberty Jamboree
28. Lichfield Cathedral Summer HAF
29. Lichfield Community Sports
30. Lingotot South Staffordshire
31. Little Sprouts Forest School
32. LSC Care
33. LWM services Burntwood Leisure Centre
34. MHR Sports Services
35. MiniMe Mindfulness - Staffordshire and Derbyshire
36. Next Thing Education Ltd
37. Pilot Activity Camps
38. Progressive Sports
39. Soccerstars Summer Course - Windsor Park
40. Sport4Kids
41. Sporting Communities
42. Sports Coaching Group
43. Sportscool Wolverhampton
44. Stafford Sports and Performance Academy
45. Staffordshire Clubs for Young People
46. The Creation Station Newcastle-Under-Lyme
47. Time4Sport
48. Velocity Training Academy
49. Vibe 2 Thrive CIC
50. VIP Education
51. Vysions Youth Services Leaders

Section 3 - Children and families feedback

Please provide links to social media activity/videos as well as testimonials or feedback that you have received about your 2024-25 HAF Programme. 

Feedback from children and families has been overwhelmingly positive. Parents appreciated the accessible online booking system and the new postcode lookup feature. Children commented on the fun activities, friendly staff, and opportunities to make new friends. Providers reported increased parental engagement during mealtime and nutrition sessions. 

Examples by season: 

• Easter: Parents praised the structured routines and SEND-friendly environments. One parent from Stafford said, "This is the only activity my son with autism feels safe to attend."
• Summer: Strong engagement through play schemes and community events such as the ‘Little Heroes,’ ‘Path to Paris’ and ‘Savvy Schools’ campaigns. In Tamworth, a child commented, "This was the best summer I ever had. I loved learning new games."
• Winter: Families valued the warm welcome, meals, and sensory activities. A provider in Burton reported that children looked forward to attending and expressed sadness when the programme ended.

Example feedback: 

• "We were thrilled to participate in the HERO campaign this summer at our HAF clubs” (Summer)
• "I liked making pizzas and playing football. I made two new friends." (Summer)
• "It helped us with food and gave my son confidence." (Winter)
• “The staff were kind, and I liked doing crafts and playing football.” (Easter)
• “My children had a great time, and the meals really helped during the school holidays.” (Summer)
• “This club has made a massive difference to us. It’s helped with food and given my son confidence.” (Winter) 

Social Media and Promotion: 

• Content promoted via Staffordshire County Council’s website, corporate communications, internal newsletters Facebook and Twitter.
• Video clips from providers and a child shared on social media.
• Endorsement by headteachers at headteachers forum
• In Summer 2024 Our case studies received an outstanding 245k video plays on Facebook, reaching 140,827 people and achieving 327,390 impressions.
• Our HAF Facebook ads promoting bookings also received fantastic engagement with a combined total of 2,138 link clicks reaching 56,008 people and receiving 208,252 impressions.

Section 4 - Food

In this section you might cover: Did you provide children and young people with at least one nutritious meal a day? Did you work in any partnerships to provide food? What were the children and young people’s attitudes to the food you provided? 

All provision included at least one nutritious meal per day. Partnerships with catering services and community kitchens supported quality delivery. Children responded well to the food, with many trying new dishes. Some providers involved children in preparing meals.

Example feedback: 

• “I tried something new and liked it – the curry was my favourite!” (Easter)
• “The kids came home excited about what they had eaten and even wanted to help make dinner.” (Summer)
• “The meals were great, warm and filling – just what they needed on cold days.” (Winter)

Examples by season: 

• Easter: Hot meals were served daily, with many clubs offering themed meal days (e.g., pasta day, curry day) and feedback showing that children tried new flavours for the first time.
• Summer: Many outdoor venues provided picnics and involved children in garden-to-plate activities like making herb wraps and growing salad leaves.
• Winter: Warm winter meals like jacket potatoes, stews, and soups were served in welcoming indoor spaces. In one Stafford club, children made fruit crumbles and shared them with parents.

Section 5 - Enriching activities

In this section, you might cover: What enrichment activities did you provide? And why did you focus on those? How did your programme provide opportunities for children and young people to develop and consolidate their skills and knowledge and try out new experiences? What was the impact?

726 enrichment sessions were delivered, including arts and crafts, science workshops, bushcraft, music production, drama, animal care, horse riding and digital coding. Activities were chosen to promote creativity, curiosity, and teamwork. Providers reported improved behaviour and confidence among regular attendees.

A standout activity in the summer was the ‘Little Heroes’ campaign, where HAF funded £1704 worth of printing to produce The HERO (Here Everyday Ready On time) games and worksheets, certificates and awards which were included in the enrichment activities by 11 HAF providers at more than 16 club venues across the summer.  HAF organised the printing and distribution of the workbooks, and targeted clubs in East Staffs, Cannock, Newcastle, and Tamworth as they were the districts with high levels of poor school attendance.

In Summer 2024 Staffordshire HAF engaged with the Savvy Schools campaign and reached out to all providers, to share the aims of the programme and ask for support to share the booklets with parents. Sufficient booklets were printed by Adult & Community Learning Team and providers nominated a family hub to collect the booklets from. 13 Providers supported the campaign in distributing the information to parents. 

Example feedback: 

• “I loved making slime and doing science experiments.” (Easter)
• “The storytelling and drama games were my favourite part – I want to do it again.” (Winter)

Examples by Season: 

• Easter: Delivered STEM activities including robot building and nature scavenger hunts. A new provider in South Staffordshire ran expressive arts sessions for children with anxiety.
• Summer: Included forest school sessions, mobile planetarium visits, and creative writing workshops. One club in Cannock reported an increase in boys’ participation in literacy through comic-making.
• Winter: Emphasised festive crafts, storytelling, and music. In Lichfield, a group created their own carols and performed them at a care home.

Section 6 - Physical activities

In this section, you might cover: What range of physical activities did you incorporate into your programme? And why did you focus on these? How did you ensure the physical activities you delivered were engaging and inclusive? Did you have any particular successes or highlights?

Physical activities included swimming, football, dance, martial arts, trampolining, and inclusive games. Sessions were adapted for different ages and abilities, ensuring inclusion. Providers noted high engagement and enthusiasm from participants.

In Summer 2024 Many of the Staffordshire clubs signed up and participated in the Path to Paris initiative shared by the DfE, encouraging children 5-11 and their families to get active. The club providers signed them up in teams to undertake and log active time online. At one club with more than 3 venues, each provision had a visit from an Olympic athlete, a canoeist came to chat about their experience and answered questions from the children.

Example feedback

• “I liked playing dodgeball – it was fun and made me feel strong!” (Winter)
• “Football and swimming were the best – I made new friends too.” (Summer)
• “For those who joined in the Road to Paris Olympics campaign, the enthusiasm was contagious! The kids loved participating in the sports-themed activities and really embraced the Olympic spirit." (Summer)

Examples by Season: 

• Easter: Introduced multi-sports sessions in partnership with local clubs in Stafford and Leek. Many sessions ran in school sports halls, ensuring access regardless of weather.
• Summer: Included water play, BMX, hiking, and archery. In East Staffordshire, one club offered horse riding to engage children with low attendance.
• Winter: Clubs adapted by offering indoor sports like dodgeball, table tennis, and dance fitness. A Stafford club ran a daily “movement hour” to get children active despite the weather.

Section 7 - Nutritional Education and the promotion of healthy living/lifestyles

In this section, you might cover: Did your programme deliver activities to educate participants about nutrition? Did you involve parents, carers and other family members in training and advice sessions on nutrition and eating a balanced diet? If yes, how? Do the children and families you worked with now have a better understanding of nutrition and food budgeting? Did their attitudes change over the period of the programme?

Children and parents participated in cooking workshops, food budgeting sessions, and nutrition games. Over 1,100 parents took part in activities which supported nutritional education. Staff used tools like the ‘Eatwell Guides’ and engaged families in hands-on learning.

Example feedback: 

• “I learned how to make a wrap and put salad in it – I didn’t know I liked peppers!” (Summer)
• “The smoothie bikes were cool and made learning about food fun.” (Easter)

Examples by Season: 

• Easter: Parents and children made snack boxes together, learning how to build a balanced lunch. One club gave out “tasting passports” to encourage children to try new fruit.
• Summer: Clubs ran smoothie-making contests and family picnic days. In Newcastle-under-Lyme, families completed meal planning worksheets together.
• Winter: Focused on warming, affordable meals. Children helped make soup and were sent home with recipe cards and slow-cooker guides.

Section 8 - Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

In this section, you might cover: What provision did you offer for children with Special Educational Needs & Disabilities? Did you offer bespoke provision for these children and young people? How did you ensure that all of the providers you worked with met the needs of children and families? Do you have strong examples that you could share?

A total of 1,625 children with SEND accessed provision:

• Easter 2024: 457 (346 primary / 111 secondary) 16% of total attendees
• Summer 2024: 787 (557 primary / 230 secondary) 18% of total attendees
• Winter 2024: 381 (262 primary / 119 secondary) 18% of total attendee

We commissioned 23 SEND-specific clubs and embedded SEND places within universal provision. 956 children attended SEND specific clubs this year. Providers received inclusion guidance and access to a SEND commissioning lead.

Providers were supported by Staffordshire HAF to adapt their provision to accommodate children’s additional needs, one provider reported, “The team were able to adapt most games to ensure that child X could join in as much as possible, build in extra rest time and breaks. Outdoor activities were easier to make the adaptations and safe for the child to join in to their fullest capacity”

SEND Family Feedback: 

• "Having two children with disabilities, HAF activities have been an absolute godsend. My daughter asks to go all the time."
• "HAF at Liberty in Burntwood were amazing! Ten days of activities and food for my SEN son was an absolute godsend and very much appreciated."
• "This is the first time my child has come home smiling after a group activity."
• "This club is amazing. My 8-year-old child loves attending. The activities provided are varied and fun. It provides opportunities to develop confidence and make friends."

Examples by Season: 

• Easter: Specialist clubs in Tamworth and Stafford focused on sensory play, music therapy, and visual supports. Providers received targeted inclusion coaching.
• Summer: Enhanced one-to-one support and added SEND-friendly activity packs. Clubs reported improved engagement using social stories and quiet spaces.
• Winter: Several clubs extended session times for children who struggled with transitions. In Burton, sensory tents were introduced to create calming environments.

Provision accessed by individual children

• Easter 2024
  • Primary: 2473
  • Secondary: 458
  • Total: 2931
• Summer 2024
  • Primary: 3207
  • Secondary: 1168
  • Total: 4375
• Winter 2024
  • Primary: 1550
  • Secondary: 575
  • Total: 2125

Provision accessed by individual children with SEND

• Easter 2024
  • Primary: 346
  • Secondary: 111
  • Total: 457
• Summer 2024
  • Primary: 557
  • Secondary: 230
  • Total: 787
• Winter 2024
  • Primary: 262
  • Secondary: 119
  • Total: 381

% of overall attendees

• Easter 2024
  • Primary: 14%
  • Secondary: 24%
  • Total: 16%
• Summer 2024
  • Primary: 17% 
  • Secondary: 20%
  • Total: 18%
• Winter 2024
  • Primary: 17% 
  • Secondary: 21%
  • Total: 18%

Section 9 - Key challenges

In this section, you should provide details about what the key challenges have been for your programme in 2024-2025.

The challenges were: 

No-shows and cancellations

This affected attendance and food planning. Improved reminder systems and confirmation prompts were introduced. We have 100% eligibility checking and automated reminders are sent to all families to remind them of their upcoming booking to help reduce no-shows. Providers support improvements to the programme through regular feedback at provider events which also include peer support. 

Delays in Notification from DfE

Changes in national government and delayed budget decisions are understandable, however, the impact of these delays to carry out the full commissioning cycle and impact on individual staff on contracts continues to have a detrimental impact on the programme. Short timescales put pressure on LA staff to implement delivery, providers to apply for funding, secure venues, and recruit staff. It also results in internal and provider staff being taken through a redundancy process which is cancelled late in January.  This has an impact on their emotional wellbeing and we all risk losing experienced staff in the process if they secure employment elsewhere. 

Section 10 - Marketing and communication

In this section, you should provide details about how you have communicated with families, schools, providers, and others about your HAF programme. You might include social media engagement, your advertising and marketing strategy, etc.

The HAF programme was promoted through schools, social workers, and online platforms. 100% of HAF eligible families were contacted through emails and letters.

The online booking platform EEQU was introduced for the Summer 2024 programme onwards and was used successfully, providing a consistent and accessible user experience for parents and carers. The platform allowed for direct communications, reminders, real-time bookings, and cancellation tracking. Feedback from families noted the simplicity and reliability of the EEQU system, particularly for SEND bookings and rural sessions.

Other activities included:

• Localised marketing targeted low-uptake wards.

• Direct emails, text alerts, and a central booking portal were used.

Examples by Season:

• Easter: Used school newsletters and SEND parent networks to promote new specialist provision. A targeted email campaign helped fill places in Stafford.
• Summer: Created a digital flyer and video campaign with real family stories, shared widely through Family Hubs and youth centres.
• Winter: Used warm space networks and early years providers to promote winter clubs. Printed leaflets were delivered to food banks and community cafes.

Easter and Summer 2024

We created two films to showcase the range of activities on offer. One showcasing sport’s and another focusing on sensory activities. We filmed them in two different styles and posted them on all our social media channels which have received fantastic engagement.

Facebook video - Sport4Kids - Staffordshire County Council Facebook page

Facebook video - Furry Friends Therapy - Staffordshire County Council Facebook Page 

We received 22 pieces of positive media coverage from local press both online and print. 

Examples of media coverage: 

Lichfield Live - Thousands of children across Staffordshire enjoying free activities

Lichfield Live - Thousands of children in Staffordshire enjoy activities and healthy meals as part of school holiday programme 

Our case studies received an outstanding 245k video plays on Facebook, reaching 140,827 people and achieving 327,390 impressions.

Our HAF Facebook ads promoting bookings also received fantastic engagement with a combined total of 2,138 link clicks reaching 56,008 people and receiving 208,252 impressions.

We also communicated the HAF programme via our e-newsletters, internal news channels, partner channels and digital and printed advertising.

Winter 2024

Staffordshire Newsroom - Children can participate in Winter Holiday Activities

Lichfield Live - Bookings open for holiday activities programme for children across Staffordshire 

YouTube - Staffordshire County Council - Crystal Academy

Section 11 - Additional resources

This section should include any additional, match funding, partnership working and aligning with other priorities. 

In this section, you should include information about whether you received any extra funding, support, resources, food, etc to support and enhance your programme. If you have received any additional match funding, please include a detailed breakdown of how much you have received stating which organisation/ government bodies. Please also include information about how you have aligned and joined up your HAF programme with other programmes and initiatives. 

Staffordshire aligned HAF with wider programmes including Family Hubs, Early Help, and Holiday Clubs. We received food donations from Fareshare Midlands and co-delivered events with local libraries. No additional match funding was recorded, but partnerships strengthened delivery reach.

15% of all HAF places can be allocated to children who are not in receipt of Free School Meals (FSM) but who are experiencing disadvantage or have a recognised need. In 2024–25, Staffordshire County Council received 722 referrals for such children across the three delivery periods:

• Easter 2024: 139 referrals
• Summer 2024: 542 referrals
• Winter 2024: 41 referrals

These referrals came from schools, professionals, and Family Hubs, and enabled broader inclusion and support for vulnerable families not captured by FSM criteria.

Examples by Season: 

• Easter: Partnered with SENDIASS and the Local Offer to co-host drop-in sessions for parents during club times.
• Summer: Collaborated with Staffordshire Libraries on pop-up reading corners and with Public Health for “Move More” campaigns.
  • Worked with adult community learning colleagues to promote ‘Savvy Schooling.’
  • Worked with education colleagues to promote ‘Little Heroes campaign’ to promote school attendance for children known to have or at risk of poor attendance.
• Winter: Linked with Family Hubs, theatres, and libraries to promote engagement.

Professional referrals for individual children

Easter 2024 - 139 referrals

Summer 2024 - 542 referrals

Winter 2024 - 41 referrals

Total: 722 referrals 

Section 12 - Any other information?

In this section, you should include any other information about your HAF programme that you want to share.

Our booking platform provided a postcode lookup tool and a redesigned online timetable on ‘Staffordshire Connects’ our local offer improved awareness and access for parents. We aim to pilot youth ambassador roles next year to increase teen engagement.

Examples by Season: 

• Easter: Introduced data dashboards for internal tracking and shared user guides with providers.
• Summer: Embedded provider training on safeguarding and inclusivity via online modules.
• Winter: Trialled a feedback chatbot for families and providers to collect real-time comments and improve evaluation. 

Annual Report Link: Holiday Activities and Food - Staffordshire County Council

Submitted by: Debbie Nash, Family Hubs Continuous Improvement Partner 

Email: debbie.nash@staffordshire.gov.uk