Round-up: The holiday activities and food programmes taking place this summer

Some 74 per cent of eligible secondary schools - 2,820 settings - will take part in the scheme, backed by £200m government funding.

• Interview: Natalie Perera, chief executive of the Education Policy Institute

• Feature: How tutors help pupils to progress

Currently 542,710 pupils are signed up to take part in the scheme which will offer a blend of academic learning and activities including cooking, theatre trips and sports sessions in a bid to build confidence and make up for lost learning due to the pandemic.

Incoming year 7 students will predominantly be encouraged to get involved, to help them navigate the important transition between primary and secondary school, the DfE has said.

However, the Education Policy Institute (EPI) has criticised the programme, saying that “we need to see summer schools open to pupils in all year groups, including those in primary schools.”

“In order to recover the months of lost learning experienced by pupils, we estimate that the government needs to spend closer to £2bn over the next three years on summer schools – that's 10 times what they've currently committed to,” Natalie Perera, chief executive of the EPI said.

Local authorities are offering summer holiday activities through the government’s £220 holiday activities and food (HAF) programme while charities and businesses are also stepping up to provide free meals and support for struggling families.

CYP Now has rounded up some of the offers available to disadvantaged children and young people:

More 27,500 children at risk of food insecurity and isolation are set to access free meals and holiday activities via Kitchen Social, run by independent charity, the Mayor’s Fund for London.

As well as the holiday clubs, the Mayor’s Fund is providing 50,000 Take and Make recipe boxes to local authorities running government-funded programmes for families of children with free school meals eligibility. These boxes contain ingredients for four portions of nutritious food, alongside recipe cards and online video tutorials.

The National Literacy Trust and sustainable paper brand REY have teamed up to deliver 10,000 free resource packs to year 6 and year 7 students across the country to encourage them to make their own comics. This forms part of the charity’s summer offer to support pupils as they transition from primary to secondary school.

Havering Borough Council, in east London, is offering 60,000 free swims for all school-aged children and young adults living in the borough during school holidays until the end of summer 2022.

Lambeth Borough Council, in south London, has created its “biggest ever” programme of food and activities for disadvantaged children which includes summer camps, sports sessions and events and schemes targeted at children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). 

In Islington, north London, options for children and young people include Lunch Bunch which offers a range of fun and free activities and a healthy meal for free or low cost depending on family income. 

Islington is also offering a number of free learning courses for those 13 and over through its Summerversity scheme and through its Launchpad scheme for those aged over 16.

Oxfordshire County Council has invested £400,000 in a programme of summer activities offering life skills and health care initiatives for five to 16 year olds, such as swimming lessons, bike riding, dental care and hygiene.

The council will offer 25,000 free days of food and activities for young people over 10 areas across its jurisdiction. Parents are encouraged to email activitiesoxfordshire@oxfordshire.gov.uk to find out if their child is eligible.

In Kent, the county council has invested £10m in its Reconnect: Kent Children and Young People Programme, an initiative that “aims to recognise the selfless contribution the younger generation has made to help keep the county’s residents as safe as possible throughout the Covid-19 pandemic”.

Reconnect launched in March and invites the Kent community to provide a range of exciting and supportive opportunities for all the county’s children and young people through council-led programmes, youth work organisations and volunteer groups.

The programme has been designed following a consultation with Kent’s Young Persons Steering Group, made up of 11- to 18-year-olds.

Alongside, it’s government-funded summer programme, Manchester City Council has given every year 6 pupil a free copy of The Kid Who Came From Space by award-winning author Ross Welford.  

The big book giveaway also included a special workbook for every child full of fun, practical activities and challenges related to the book, as part of a shared learning project for pupils as they make the move from primary school.

Newcastle City Council has launched the Toon Trail which takes participants on journeys through the city.

Designed by Newcastle Youth Democracy Group, the free app, was developed by Open Lab at Newcastle University.

The trails run until Sunday October 3 and cover Rivers and Bridges, Castles and Churches and Monuments and Parks.

In Reading, Brighter Futures for Children is co-ordinating the HAF programme throughout the school holidays on behalf of Reading Borough Council. Activities offered by organisations including Get Active Sports, Energy Kidz and Reading Football Club are available to children who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals.

Eligible families who have not already registered for a free place can still do so here.

This page was last updated on 30 July. Send details of summer holiday programmes aimed at disadvantaged children to fiona.simpson@markallengroup.com