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- info@thehubbfoundation.org.uk
On 27 October 2021, the Department for Education (DfE) announced a further 3-year extension of its national Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme for reception aged children to year 11 age children inclusive, who are eligible for benefits related free school meals (FSM). Local programmes must include hot food, physical activities, and enrichment activities. The programme will run during key school holidays Spring, Summer, and Winter, but not in half terms.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council (SOTCC) has commissioned The Hubb Foundation (THF)- to undertake the co-ordination of the programme.
School holidays can be pressure points for some families because of increased costs (such as food and childcare) and reduced incomes. For some children that can lead to a holiday experience gap – with children from disadvantaged families less likely to access organised out-of-school activities; more likely to experience ‘unhealthy holidays’ in terms of nutrition and physical health; and more likely to experience social isolation. We know that returning to school in poor physical and mental condition can have a detrimental impact on children’s mental and physical wellbeing, as well as their educational attainment.
Expression of interest to be deliver on the Winter 24 HAF programme will be open from Friday 20th September.
Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) is a Department for Education (DfE) funded programme
It provides physical and enrichment activities and healthy food to children aged 5 to 16 years (including 4-year-old children enrolled in reception at Stoke-on-Trent schools) who are eligible for benefits related free school meals (FSM).
The 2024 programme runs through the Spring, Summer (Wednesday 24th July – Sunday 1st September) and Winter school holidays.
This holiday provision is for school aged children from reception to year 11 (inclusive) who receive benefits-related free school meals, and attend a Stoke-on-Trent School.
Benefits-related free school meals (FSM) are available to pupils if their parents are in receipt of one of the qualifying benefits, and have a claim verified by their school or local authority. 85% of the overall attendance must be eligible for FSMs
Apply for free school meals – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Universal infant free school meals
All children in reception, year 1 and year 2 in England’s state-funded schools receive a free meal under the Department for Education (DfE) universal infant free school meal (UIFSM) policy.
Infant pupils who receive a free meal under UIFSM must also be eligible for benefits-related FSM to be able to access a place on the HAF programme.
Other children and families
Additional funding can cover provision of free or subsidised holiday club places for children who are not in receipt of benefits-related free school meals but who the local authority believe could benefit from HAF provision.
This may include, for example:
children assessed by the local authority as being in need, at risk or vulnerable
young carers
looked-after children or previously looked after children
children with an EHC (education, health and care) plan
children who have low attendance rates at school or who are at risk of exclusion
children living in areas of high deprivation or from low-income households who are not in receipt of free school meals
children in transition phases between nursery and primary school or primary and secondary school
(The above eligibility is subject to change, in consultation with the Department of Education.)
This list is not exhaustive, and it is open to the local authority to decide which children should benefit from the 15% flexible funding of total session attendance element of their HAF funding.
DfE Guidance: Holiday activities and food programme 2024 – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Check if your child is eligible for Free School meals.
If you are a parent or carer of a school aged child who attends a Stoke-on-Trent school, who wants to check if your child is free school meals eligible.
Providing them access the HAF programme in Stoke-on-Trent, please either speak with your child’s school or complete the online eligibility checker on Stoke-on-Trent City Councils website-
As a result of this programme, The Department for Education want children who attend this provision to:
eat healthily over the school holidays
be active during the school holidays
take part in engaging and enriching activities which support the development of resilience, character and wellbeing along with their wider educational attainment
be safe and not to be socially isolated
have a greater knowledge of health and nutrition
be more engaged with school and other local services
The Department for Education also want to ensure that the families who participate in this programme:
develop their understanding of nutrition and food budgeting
are signposted towards other information and support, for example, health, employment, and education
The holiday projects we wish to coordinate will help achieve the following outcomes for reception aged children to year 11 aged children (4–16-year-olds)
1. To eat more healthily over the school holidays.
2. To be more active during the school holidays
3. To take part in engaging and enriching activities which support the development of resilience, character, and wellbeing along with their wider educational attainment; to be safe and not to be socially isolated.
4. To have greater knowledge of health and nutrition and to be more engaged with school and other local services.
The DfE has outlined a Framework of standards for the HAF programme.
The Hubb Foundation will ensure standards are met across the programme and session delivery; we will support local providers who wish to offer the programme but do not meet all the delivery standards. Enabling a varied approach of delivery and funding models to ensure partnerships, support and training is given to these providers.
Essential Delivery Standards
• Each session should ideally run for 4 hours per day (*shorter sessions will be considered for older young people ages 12+ & SEND provision or where not practically possible)
• Each session must include a hot meal where practically possible
Standards
Physical
Providers are required to facilitate physical activities daily that meet the Physical Activity Guidelines, set out by the United Kingdom’s Chief Medical Officers’ Report for a minimum of an hour.
Holiday clubs must provide activities that meet the https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/physical-activity-guidelines-uk-chief-medical-officers-report
physical activity guidelines on a daily basis.
In line with those guidelines, we expect:
*All children and young people participating in the HAF programme should engage in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity for an average of at least 60 minutes per day
*Children and young people participating in the HAF programme should engage in a variety of types and intensities of physical activity to develop movement skills, muscular fitness, and bone strength
*Children and young people should aim to minimise the amount of time spent being sedentary, and when physically possible should break up long periods of not moving with at least light physical activity
*Meeting the physical activity requirement does not have to be in the form of a structured activity session, but might include active travel, free play and sports.
Enrichment
Providers are required to facilitate fun and enriching activities that provide children and
young people (and in some instances their families) to:
Develop new skills or knowledge.
Consolidate existing skills and knowledge.
Try out new experiences which could include creative activities, for example, putting on a play, junk modelling or drumming workshops or experiences.
We expect all HAF providers to provide a balanced programme. For providers whose primary focus is set around a specific activity or sport, we expect them to ensure that children attending their provision benefit from a holistic and varied experience
Increasing awareness of healthy eating, healthy lifestyles, and positive behaviours
We expect providers to incorporate helping children to understand more about the benefits of healthy eating and nutrition into their programme. These do not need to be formal learning activities. This could include:
getting children involved in food preparation and cooking.
growing fruit and vegetables
taste tests
discussing food and healthy eating during mealtimes
including food and nutrition in other activities
Offering positive learning and development through HAF activities creates stigma-free opportunities to support children and young people in learning about healthy lifestyles and exercise. This could cover, for example, the use of vapes, cigarettes, drugs, and how this can lead to issues including:
economic
social
personal safety
exploitation
criminality
Signposting
Providers are required to provide information, advice, guidance, signposting or referrals to other agencies, services, organisations, or networks of support which benefit the children (and their families) who are attending the Providers activities. This could include:
Citizen’s Advice
Child Health and Wellbeing Services, School Nurses, Dentists or Other Healthcare Practitioners
Family Support Services and/or Children’s Social Care, Housing Support Officers
Jobcentre Plus
Organisations providing financial education, information, advice and Guidance
Food Provision
Each venue is required to provide a minimum of one meal a day. This could be Breakfast, Lunch or Tea/Dinner.
All Food (including snacks) provided through the activity must meet.
the School Food Standards, developed through the Department of Education.
Most of the food served through the Programme should be hot where possible. There may be exceptional circumstances where a hot meal is not possible, and a cold alternative may be appropriate.
Food provided through the Programme must:
Comply with appropriate Legislation, Regulations, Policies, Procedures and Guidance in relation to food preparation.
Take into consideration allergies and dietary requirements.
be a provided by a registered food business.
Meet school meal standards.
Consider any religious or cultural requirements for food.
Providers can view the School Food Standards on the Government’s website. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/standards-for-school-food-in-england
Food standards including hygiene and food standards qualifications and allergy information etc is the sole responsibility of the provider. Allergy awareness and cultural options should always be available, this is the responsibility of the provider.
From October 2021, Providers need to be aware of and adhere to the new the requirements of the UK Food Labelling reform known as Natasha’s Law.
Co-Ordination/Delivery Model options
In Stoke-on-Trent we have found that there is no one single solution that works for everyone. Just as there is a need for unique local delivery providers, each community has its own needs and the best approach for the community it serves.
We welcome expression from providers to deliver Full provision where all DfE’s framework of standards of delivery can be provided by school or delivery provider.
Or Partial (can provide some elements of standards) provision -The Hubb Foundation will coordinate through Partnership (working alongside other organisations) to provide elements to compliment and to fulfil delivery standards at each session. (Shown in Joint approach model detailed below)
School/community venue led.
School/Community staff deliver all activities.
Food is produced on site at the school/community venue.
Sessions are promoted and booking made by the venue through own system or utilising coordinate sport platform.
Provider led
Providers lead sessions from school or community facilities
Food provided by provider or external catering company.
Sessions are promoted and bookings taken through provider system or coordinate sport platform.
Joint approach
School/Community host the activities.
School/venue staff and local activity providers deliver session activities between them jointly.
Food externally provided or produced onsite by venue or provider.
Promotion done through both the school/community and delivery partner
We have found the Joint-delivery Model as the most impactful, with venue staff & external activity providers offering a variety of activity to meet the needs of young people. & meals being supplied through a third-party catering partner.
We welcome expression to provide sessions which can be classed as either closed (school offering places for their pupils only to access) or Open (i.e., community groups/schools identifying signposting and inviting Children & Young People from local community to attend).
How does the funding work?
Similar to the delivery model approach, we recognise a flexible approach is required to work with partners to achieve the required delivery. that not one single solution works for all.
Method approach A pre-agreed hourly rate (approx. £25 per hour) is in place between provider and the Hubb Foundation. Ratio is agreed proportional to the number of places available in your provision. & made up of both venue &/or core provider. Funding can also cover venue hire, material, and equipment costs. This works effectively with Joint Delivery approach. The Hubb Foundation will work closely with partners when coordinating this approach to ensure size of programme is proportionate to previous delivery performance,
Performance approach – In circumstances where providers are proposing to deliver all (full programme) or most of the delivery standards themselves, funding can be awarded via a pre-agreed per head cost (amount determined in proportion to the level of delivery). This model is paid on performance- linked to number of eligible places booked and then the actual attendance at the service session(s).
Compliance/Deliverables
Along with evidence of required policies and procedures, partners will be sent a copy of our Partner Agreement prior to the provision to read and sign. This includes a data processing agreement, our SLA, payment terms, etc. Within this agreement, there is also information relating to minimum standards on health & safety, food provision, safeguarding, policies, etc.
There are several deliverables (such as booking forms, marketing steps, and attendance records) which must be completed for each event. Further details of this will be provided in our ‘Partner Handbook’.
Programmes can be led by a range of organisations from across the public, private and community and voluntary sectors. To become an approved provider, partners must be able to meet minimum operating standards, sign up and adhere to a service partner agreement and can meet the objectives of the programme.
We are actively inviting expression of interest from partners to work with us to deliver the Winter HAF 2024 programme in Stoke-on-Trent.
For the Winter 2024 school holidays, Stoke-on-Trent City Council (SOTCC), and The Hubb Foundation (THF) will once again join forces to deliver healthy food alongside physical and enrichment activities. Stoke-on-Trent’s Holiday Activity Programme. The programme, predominately supports reception aged children to year 11 age children inclusive, who are eligible for benefits related free school meals, who attend a Stoke-on-Trent school.
The Winter delivery dates will be between:
Saturday 21st December 2024 – Sunday 5th January 2025.
For community-based programmes
To express your interest please contact Kevin.Hawkins@thehubbfoundation.org.uk to request an EOI form. Once completed, please return the form to Kevin
For any questions regarding the EOI please contact The Hubb Foundation’s Community Relationship Manager
Kevin Hawkins
Kevin.Hawkins@thehubbfoundation.org.uk
07879 152749
For schools
If you are a school seeking to lead a HAF programme, please contact our School Relationship Manager to discuss.
Tana Owen
Tana.Owen@thehubbfoundation.org.uk
07921 452005
We are also seeking expression of interests from providers only (to be placed as activity within sessions) to support our HAF programme, for providers who can provide activity but who don’t wish to lead a programme.
To be considered as a HAF enrichment provider please complete the following link
Winter HAF 24 – Enrichment Provider Expression of Interest Form
Deadline for submitting an expression of interest is by 5pm on Monday 7th October 2024.
Once you have expressed, all applications will be reviewed and assessed by :
Monday 14th October to ensure they meet the HAF delivery standards.
EOI applications will be reviewed and access on several criteria-
Compliance Checks
Previous delivery experience
Quality of programme & activities
Number of places
Food provision
Delivery Location/s
Value for Money
Decisions to be confirmed w/c 28th October
Following the review of applications, The Hubb Foundation will be in touch to confirm with provider or review proposed delivery further.
Planning & Coordination meeting between The Hubb Foundation and potential HAF providers. to finalise programmes, will take place between 15th October – 8th November 2024.
Programmes will go live on booking website on Monday 2nd December. (subject to change)
*New Providers are subject to onboarding and compliance check, and must be able to meet minimum operating standards and sign up to a partner agreement, before being considered as a pre-approved HAF delivery partner.
Eligibility: the provision is aimed at free school meal eligible (income related or universal) children, this cohorts needs to make up 85% of the attendance. However, there is addition opportunity available to support children deemed as disadvantaged/vulnerable/at risk (historically we have used our partnerships with schools who have pre-existing relationships with these families to help us target them by stealth). HAF providers need to ensure their programme is made up at 85% of FSM-eligible.
Activity Providers: The Hubb Foundation will link you with wider enrichment providers and activity instructors ranging from adventurous activities, art, physical activities and music etc.
Food: The Hubb Foundation will coordinate the provision of Food as required
Evaluation Data: After each holiday period, specific data returns will need to be returned by the led provider, to ensure reporting to the local authority allowing them to report back to the funding body the department for education: what the cost of the programme has been. how many children participated in your programme during the last holiday period including, but not restricted to: the overall number of unique children who participated in the programme the overall number of unique children in receipt of FSM who participated in your programme the number and proportion of children who are in the: primary school age range secondary school age range any children outside of those age ranges who attended the programme. (more detail can be found in the Data Processing Agreement within partner agreement)
The Hubb Foundation will assess and make decisions on Expression of interest to delivery activity programmes, based on several criteria:
Assessment Criteria | Notes |
Compliance checks | Has the organisation passed due diligence checks? Due diligence checks seek to verify information about the organisation and identify any possible ‘risks’ that may result in it being deemed unsuitable to receive funding. We complete a range of checks including via the Charity Commission, Companies House, and other professional bodies such as Ofsted. We review accounts, check that the bank account of the organisation and visit websites/social media etc. We also want to ensure that the organisation operates safely and expect that supporting documents including the Safeguarding policy meet current best practice. Does the organisation have Equality and Diversity policies (DEI) in place? Organisations that do not meet minimum operating standards and due diligence will not be considered for funding |
Previous delivery experience | Does the organisation have experience of delivering similar youth programmes successfully and does this include previous delivery experience in Stoke-on-Trent? We will prioritise organisations that are based in Stoke-on-Trent or that can demonstrate relevant previous delivery experience in the city. We will only consider organisations that have no previous Stoke-on-Trent delivery experience if we identify unmet needs. b) If the organisation has previously received HAF funding, did their programme perform well and have they met reporting requirements proportionate to their role in delivery? At the end of each programme, we analyse attendance data to understand performance. This includes reviewing the number of bookings and attendances against the number of places that were offered per venue and calculating actual cost per head. We also check that the Coordinate Sport booking system has been utilised according to requirements. We utilise Quality Assurance reports and feedback to understand the quality of delivery. We review the standard of monitoring/attendance reports including whether the report was submitted on time and if it included quotes, case studies, photos/films to help demonstrate impact. We also review final budgets and whether any underspend was returned e.g. If bookings were low, were food orders reduced accordingly?
Please note that poor performance, poor quality delivery, failure to meet deadlines or delivery guidance and the submission of poor-quality monitoring and evaluation can result in the refusal to provide future funding. |
Programme and activities | Does the application clearly demonstrate that delivery will meet the required HAF standards of the programme? Is the proposed programme of a high-quality and is it an exciting offer? Session duration must be a minimum of 4 hours and provide: 1) A minimum of 1 hour of physical activity 2) A minimum of 1 hour of enrichment activity 3) A hot meal (where provider is proposing to deliver this themselves) 4) Activities to increase awareness of healthy eating, healthy lifestyles, and positive behaviours. Can a sample daily timetable be shared? so that we can ensure that all the delivery elements are included for at least the minimum duration requirement.
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Number of places
| Is the number of places that the organisation wants to offer in a programme to appropriate? Is the reach of places realistic to expected engagement? Each venue can deliver for up to a maximum of 4 days. The maximum number of days that an organisation can deliver at one venue, per age group, is 4. If organisations think they might have capacity to offer additional places, on top of what they have applied to deliver, then please indicate if your organisations would like to be contacted if we are seeking additional places. We will consider whether there is demonstrated need for the number of places proposed, based on FSM registrations in the area. (see appendix 1) We consider previous performance. (bookings/attendances/quality) for those providers that have delivered as part of the programme previously and expect that the number of places proposed per venue reflect this. Particularly where funding is agreed per session (staffing – hourly rate, ratio proportionate to capacity, venue hire), we seek assurances that resources is maximised & programmes demonstrate value for money. We encourage new providers to apply to deliver a pilot programme in the first instance and this should reflect the size of their organisation and previous delivery experience
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Food provision | Where providers are seeking to provide this themselves, does the application meet the food requirements of the programme? Can providers provide children with a hot, healthy meal at a minimum of School Food Standards. Is the provider a registered food business? providers are encouraged to provide a hot meal but, depending on the needs of the children and duration of the session, we are open to considering a healthy cold meal option. We review who will provide the food, menu examples to ensure healthy options are being provided and whether the cost per head is this appropriate. Some providers also choose to provide healthy snacks. |
Delivery locations
| Can the organisations name all your proposed venues at the point of application? Are the proposed delivery venues located in areas of high FSM need and will these venues enable us to provide a variety of HAF sessions in Stoke-on-Trent? Does the organisation have connection with the proposed location? Can they evidence key relationships with FSM children in delivery location/s? We will complete a mapping exercise to review venue locations and inform decision making. We expect applicants to propose delivery venues in areas of high FSM need – the most successful. sessions are those that families can easily access by walking to. Please see appendix 1 for FSM numbers per city ward |
Value for Money | Regardless of whether organisation is seeking to offer partial or full delivery, does the proposed programme demonstrate value for money? Please be aware your application will be rejected if your costs are not deemed to demonstrate value.
A price per head must be clearly stated and the budget must be detailed and accurate so that we understand how the price per head was calculated and how the funding will be spent. We also take into consideration whether the provider has offered to deliver for longer than the minimum 4 hours required per day and whether they are subsidising sessions through match funding or other means so that we understand the true cost of delivery. |
A independent and socially-inclusive charity dedicated to supporting families and communities in creating happy, healthy school holidays.
*Stats Source: Stoke-on-Trent City Council
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