Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme West Sussex - Expression of Interest:
HAF Programme Overview
Since 2021, the DFE have funded the Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) Programme via local authorities in England. Local authorities coordinate free holiday provision with a healthy meal and enriching activities for children eligible for means tested Free School Meals (FSM). The Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) programme is currently delivered during the three main school holiday periods.
We are pleased to announce that the grant funding from the DfE has been extended for a further year and is now due to complete at the end of March 2026.
What providers need to consider:
For more information on the national programme please visit the Government's website (opens in new window).
West Sussex County Council will only be accepting bids for the Summer and Winter 2025 HAF Programme. The following expectations from the Department for Education (DfE) need to be considered:
- HAF provision is for children in receipt of benefit related Free School Meals - the enclosed FSM data indicates the target areas across West Sussex.
- Eligible children should be able to access
- Summer:- at least four hours of provision a day, for four days, for four weeks.
- Winter:- at least four hours of provision a day, for four days.
There is flexibility on how the equivalent level of provision is delivered during each holiday and the 4 days each do not have to run consecutively and can be split across the number of weeks across the whole holiday. West Sussex will no longer accept bids that exceed the number of days outlined above.
Face-to-face provision with a hot meal remains the central priority for the council, and in the first instance we are looking for offers of four days of face-to-face holiday clubs where that is possible.
The council is interested in proposals from providers who can deliver within one or more areas in the county, and from providers who would be interested in 'scaling up' their current provision, to meet the needs of a wider cohort of children and families within West Sussex.
If you chose to deliver activities only, you will be paired with a pre-approved catering service to deliver the food element of the HAF programme.
The grant allocation process:
Proposals must be submitted using the online Expression of Interest (EOI). This will enable us to award grants in an efficient and transparent manner according to agreed funding specifications.
Your EOI should include:
- A clear proposal of your activity and how you will meet the HAF Framework of Standards (opens in new window)
- Self-Assessment on your Policies and Procedures
- Funding Template (downloadable on the right)
- Example activity plans
- Example Menus
We recommend that you have all the necessary documentation ready to attach before you start completing the online EOI form, we will not accept any bids received after the EOI has closed, this will include any supporting documents.
When evaluating the Expressions of Interest we will be looking at the following areas:
| Evaluation Criteria | Description | Weight (%) |
| Location | Session based in District and Borough where needed (see Breakdown for D&B's) and in a suitable venue providing good coverage. | 25% |
| Experience and Track Record | Past performance is in line with spaces bid for. If new to HAF:- does EOI show a track record of delivering similar high quality provision? | 25% |
| Price | Cost breakdown is provided and is competitive with like providers and provides value for money. | 20% |
| Technical Capability | Meets requirements of HAF programme:- - Age range - Min 4 hours a day - Applied for no more than allowed number of spaces and days. - Food meets FSM requirements - Provides variety of age-appropriate activities - Incorporates food nutrition into delivery - Provides 60 mins of physical activity. | 15% |
| Quality Assurance | Has the correct Policies and procedures in place:- - Ofsted registered where necessary - Registered as a Food Business if necessary - Correct Policies & Procedures - Necessary Training - Correct Insurance | 15% |
The below table shows the percentage of free school meal children in each district and borough, we will be looking for HAF provision to mirror this.
| District and Borough | % of FSM children |
| Adur | 7% |
| Arun | 19% |
| Chichester | 13% |
| Crawley | 23% |
| Horsham | 10% |
| Mid Sussex | 12% |
| Worthing | 13% |
The deadlines to submit an EOI form are listed below. Please note the change in closing time from previous EOI's.
Holiday Period | Opening Date | Closing Dates |
| Easter 2026 | 10am 1st December 2026 | 3pm, 2nd January 2026 |
| Summer 2026 | 10am 2nd March 2026 | 3pm 2nd April 2026 |
| Winter 2026 | 10am 17th August 2026 | 3pm 20th September 2026 |
Equality, diversity, and inclusion:
Providers will be asked to consider and identify how they propose to meet the needs of diverse groups i.e. food provision which cater for religious beliefs, activities which are gender-aware and inclusive for children with additional needs or disabilities.
How to get your questions answered:
If you have questions about the programme please get in touch to find out more about the programme or with any queries. You can contact us via email at HAF@westsussex.gov.uk.
Accessibility statement
If you require any of this information in an alternative format, then please contact us via email at HAF@westsussex.gov.uk or by telephone on 0330 222 4144 and we will do our best to assist you. If you are deaf or hard of hearing and have an NGT texting app installed on your computer, laptop or smartphone, you can contact us on 18001 0330 222 4144.
We are committed to making this website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. Please view the West Sussex County Council Accessibility Statement (opens in new window) for further details. Information about the accessibility of the Your Voice Engagement Hub can be found by clicking on the 'Accessibility tab' which can be found at the bottom of this page. Where it exists, we will provide details of any project related content which is not fully accessible under a heading of 'Non-accessible content' below.
We are always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact us at haveyoursay@westsussex.gov.uk.
