London Bangla A Force for the community…
SPORTS, ARTS, music, drama, cooking, days out… They’re all free – and there’s a healthy lunch too. That what’s on offer for children in Tower Hamlets this summer – but you have to book a place.
The activities are banded together under the name HAF – that’s the Holiday Activities and Food Programme. Funding comes straight from the Government, but the activities are run by local groups whose plans are endorsed by the Council.
London, UK, 8 May 2023 : Children playing with hula hoop in festival. Similar activities will take place in the HAF Clubs.
The Government funding must be spent on children who receive Free School Meals under the national system, which is means-tested. In Tower Hamlets, school meals appear to be free because parents are not asked to pay for meals. This happens because the Government pays for children who meet their eligibility criteria, and Tower Hamlets Mayor Lutfur Rahman pays for the meals of all other children.
Children aged between four and 16 year old are able to attend HAF activities – but only if they get the national, means-tested Free School Meals. All children who receive Free School Meals on this basis have been sent a code by the Council, which they can use to book a place in a HAF club.
Many parents do not bother to check if they are eligible for Free School Meals, because they don’t have to pay for meals if they are on the government scheme or the local scheme. However, various benefits and activities are targeted at children on government Free School Meals, and children whose parents don’t register can be left out. Your school can help you fill out the application form – because they receive extra government funding for children eligible for Free School Meals, so it is in their interest to sign you up.
Some community groups will offer places to children who do not receive Free School Meals under the Government’s system, which they pay for out of their own funds.
PHOTO: Tower Hamlets Council. A young kid is seen batting and playing cricket with some boys at his cricket coaching academy, at Oval maidan, Churchgate, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Shot in October 2017. The HAF Clubs will run various sporting activities.
So far, so good. Many children in Tower Hamlets receive Free School Meals under the government scheme and are eligible to book places. The down side is that the children of some working parents do not qualify for automatic places – and working parents need help with childcare in the summer holidays. The Government’s eligibility test means that some children can go to a HAF Club, but their friends can’t. A second problem is that parents have to apply online for a place: this involves setting up an account with the “plinth” system that runs the booking system and then entering information online. If you are having difficulty with this, you can ask your local Residents’ Hub for help.
Holiday childcare could work a lot better in Tower Hamlets. Ideally, every school should offer holiday care for the children of working parents and those from homes where parents are not in work. This could help out working parents; keep children learning, so they don’t come back to school in September having gone backwards in their learning; and reduce Anti-Social Behaviour. They could also improve educational attainment. Tower Hamlets has led the way with so many measures to support children and learning – Free School Meals, school uniform grants and Breakfast Clubs. Could the Council lead the way on holiday care too?
●For more information about Free School Meals and to apply, go to:
Free School Meals
●For more information about HAF and to apply for a place, go to:
HAF
●Read more about it:
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