Bank holiday changes to council services
Holiday Activities and Food (HAF)
HAF provides a programme of free activities during the school Easter, summer and winter holidays.
HAF 2026
Summer HAF 2026 runs from Thursday 23 July to Friday 28 August.
What HAF provides
Funded by the Department for Education, HAF provides a programme of free activities during the school Easter, summer, and winter holidays, for people who receive benefits-related free school meals. Activities include sports, arts, music, and more.
Children and young people also receive a free balanced meal and snacks as part of their day.
If you have questions about Brighton & Hove HAF or need support with booking, send an email to the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Team.
Watch our film below from a Brighton Table Tennis Club HAF holiday camp to get an idea of what HAF has to offer.
Sign up to our mailing list
To be the first to be updated on HAF activity, send an email to request to be added to our distribution list.
Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Team
Contact the team for enquiries about booking a place on a holiday activity.
If you want us to stop sending you emails, ask and we'll delete your contact details from the distribution list.
HAF programmes are also running in East and West Sussex, with information available here:
Who's eligible for HAF
HAF is for children and young people in Reception to Year 11 who receive benefits-related free school meals.
Apply for benefits-related free school meals.
Benefits-related free school meals are different from universal infant free school meals. Universal infant free school meals are not means-tested and provide free meals to all pupils in Reception, Year 1, and Year 2.
Children must have also started attending school.
There are no public discretionary HAF places. Benefits-related free school meals is the only eligibility criteria openly used in Brighton & Hove.
HAF standards
All HAF providers are required to demonstrate they meet the programme’s framework of standards as laid out by the Department for Education.
Providers are further supported to meet these standards through training and quality assurance visits.
Help and support for families
We know the school holidays can be expensive for some families and act as a pressure point. Below are some links that might help:
- Cost of living support – help for residents struggling with the cost of living.
- Best Start in Life
- Family Help Online - Find advice and support for families.
We also have our Brighton & Hove Childcare Directory where you can find all Ofsted-registered childcare in the city and information about childcare funding.
Additional support for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
We encourage those requesting a booking for a child with SEND to do this as soon as possible. We also encourage you to contact the provider to clarify what support would be required to fully integrate the child. All HAF providers are expected to make all reasonable adjustments. Failing to disclose information could lead to the placement breaking down.
Find out about inclusion funding for disabled children or those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This funding can provide additional support for children with an Education and Health Care Plan to attend Ofsted-registered childcare and HAF activities.
An alternative is to look at options available through the heavily subsidised Brighton & Hove SEND Short Break and School Activities Programme. The programme is for children and young people aged 4 years (Reception) to 25 years with SEND.
Learn more about the programme, or see what's available to book.