Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase accessible holiday club provision for SEN children requiring one to one support.

This year, the government is again investing over £200 million in the holiday activities and food (HAF) programme, with all local authorities in England. The programme provides healthy meals, enriching activities and free childcare places to children from low-income families, benefiting their health, wellbeing and learning.

The HAF programme funding is primarily for school aged children from reception to year 11 (inclusive) who receive benefits-related free school meals (FSM).

While the majority of funding that local authorities receive should be used for holiday club places for children in receipt of FSM, local authorities have discretion to use up to 15% of their funding to provide free or subsidised holiday club places for children, who are not in receipt of benefits-related FSM, but who the local authority believe could benefit from HAF provision.

Local authorities are responsible for understanding the needs of the children and families in their area and ensuring that the programme reaches those who need it. In addition, they have flexibility in how the programme can be delivered to children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or additional needs, who are in receipt of FSM, ensuring it is tailored to meet the needs of those children and their families.

The department’s guidance on the HAF programme 2024 provides key points for local authorities to consider when designing provisions for children with SEND or additional needs. This guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/holiday-activities-and-food-programme/holiday-activites-and-food-programme-2024.

The department encourages local authorities to engage with local and national organisations, including special schools with expertise in working with children with SEND or additional needs. Local authorities are obligated to include the numbers of children with SEND or additional needs who have participated in their programme in their post provision reporting to us.

Local authorities must ensure there are sufficient school places for all pupils, including those with SEND. The Children and Families Act 2014 requires local authorities to keep the provision for children and young people with SEND under review (including its sufficiency), working with parents, young people and providers.