Bradford Council plans for summer and Christmas holiday clubs 2021 UPDATE

20 May 2021,

Bradford Council wants to hear from schools, community groups and voluntary organisations who can run holiday clubs for school pupils during the summer and Christmas holidays.

The council is inviting schools and other groups to apply for grant funding to operate holiday clubs that are free to disadvantaged children and young people.

The Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, funded by a £2.8m grant from the Department for Education (DfE), is targeted at children in receipt of benefits-related free school meals. The aim is to encourage children to be physically active and eat more healthily during school holidays by attending holiday clubs.

Bradford’s funding from the DfE covers the Easter, summer and Christmas holidays in 2021 and the council is now developing plans for summer and Christmas.

Councillor Imran Khan, Bradford Council's portfolio holder for education, employment and skills, said: “The coronavirus pandemic has had a huge impact on the lives of our children and young people and so it is more important than ever that they can access fun, engaging and social activities.

“We know school holidays can be tough for many families because of extra costs for childcare, food and activities. That can create 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. Free holiday clubs are a great way to tackle that experience gap and we are excited to hear from schools, voluntary and community groups and other organisations about what they could do for our children and young people to ensure they have enriching, exciting and fulfilling experiences over summer and Christmas.”

Any schools or organisations interested in being part of the HAF programme are advised to visit the council website for more details.