Aims/priorities: The Holiday activities and food programme is a government initiative that aims to provide healthy hot food and enriching activities during the Easter school holidays, primarily to children and young people aged 5 to 16 who are eligible for benefits related free school meals. It is funded by the Department for Education (DfE). The aim is for children and young people to socialise, learn and play during the Easter holiday period, enjoy a hot meal and have fun.
Who can apply? Please consider carefully how your organisation intends to meet ALL of the required HAF standards. It is vital that the team delivering your sessions are aware of the expectations of the programme, how you have stated you will meet them and are able to fulfil them during the delivery period.
Grant amount: Not specified.
Application process: The application is submitted via a webform on the Oldham Council website. The link to the webform is here
We will only be accepting applications via this weblink. The webform does not have the functionality to save forms part way through the application process and we would therefore suggest that an initial viewing of the form is undertaken and all required documents are collated before beginning the population of the form. Our web team have advised that due to the requirement to upload documents to the weblink, its best to complete the expression of interest via a desktop or laptop, rather than a mobile device. Please be mindful that the webpage will timeout after 30 minutes of inactivity. For ease here is a Word version of the webform. Whilst we are not able to accept a final submission in this format you will be able to view the questions prior to beginning the webform.
We have provided a link to the DfE guidance here. This guidance is due to be updated very soon. Please look out for the updates. It is important that you take some time to consider the guidance before submitting your application to ensure your provision can meet the standards.
You will also find the budget proposal proforma here, please use this to break down the amount you are bidding for and upload to the webform when prompted. Please be sure to delete all the example cells before you start to complete this document. Budget proposals in other formats will not be considered.
Please note that if your application to become a provider is successful, attendance at a mandatory online meeting with Eequ will be required.
The meeting will be 2pm-3pm on Thursday 13th March. This will be an Interactive Onboarding Workshop to support providers to create their Eequ booking page. The following will be required for this workshop:-
- 2-5 quality photographs of the activity and/or venue
- At least 5 lines describing the activity
- A logo of the organisation
- A few lines describing the organisation
Further information will be sent to successful applicants closer to the time.
Attendance at this workshop will be part of Grant Determination Letters.
Deadline: The strict deadline for the return of expressions of interest via the weblink is on or before Monday 3rd March 2025.
Contact information: Email: OldhamHAF@oldham.gov.uk
Website: Holiday activities and food programme 2023 - GOV.UK