Who qualifies
- Children on benefits-related free school meals — broadly: Universal Credit with net earned income under £7,400 a year, Income Support, income-based JSA, income-related ESA, Pension Credit, or Child Tax Credit under the income threshold.
- Councils can also offer some places to other children they consider in need — worth asking even if you’re not sure you qualify.
- From September 2026, free school meals extend to every household on Universal Credit — which widens who HAF reaches too. If you’ll qualify then, get the FSM claim in now.
What a funded place actually includes
Real activities — sport, arts, cooking, trips — plus at least one healthy meal a day. The summer standard is the equivalent of 4 hours a day, 4 days a week, 4 weeks (shorter at Easter and Christmas). It’s genuine free childcare with food, not just a lunch club.
Find and book yours — 10 minutes
- Search “[your council] HAF” — every upper-tier council in England publishes its funded clubs before each holiday. (Find your council via our postcode lookup.)
- Book the day the list opens. Places are free, limited and popular — the good clubs fill first. Your child’s school usually emails the booking link before each holiday too; check the bag, check the app.
- You’ll usually need your child’s FSM eligibility or a booking code the school or council provides.
Scotland & Wales
HAF is England-only, but both nations fund their own holiday support — many Scottish councils pay a holiday payment to FSM-eligible families or run club programmes, and Welsh councils run holiday food-and-fun schemes. Search “[your council] holiday support” or ask via your council’s website.
Stack the rest of the holiday help
- Healthy Start keeps paying for food and milk for under-4s all year round.
- Your council’s crisis support scheme can help with food and essentials in the holidays — many issue supermarket vouchers.
- Food banks don’t close for summer — Citizens Advice can refer you the same day.
- September on your mind? Uniform grants open in early summer — Wales on 1 July, Scotland around June.
Do this now
Two searches tonight: “[your council] HAF” and your child’s school app for the summer booking link. The summer lists open in June and July — the families who know, book first.
Not claimed free school meals yet? That one form unlocks HAF, uniform grants and more — do it first.