Parents need holiday help – 20,000 families surveyed
Working parents need the government’s Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) scheme to help look after youngsters a massive research survey has revealed.
The record-breaking National Holiday Activities and Food Parent/Carer Evaluation Survey 2025 was supported by the University of Lincoln and took in 20,000 families across England.
It found the HAF programme, funded by the Department of Education, is reducing cost of living pressures, supporting working parents and improving children’s health and confidence during school holidays.
The scheme is for children and young people aged 5–16 who are eligible for free school meals with 624,000 receiving HAF provision across England last summer.
Professor Paul Stretesky, Professor of Criminology at the University of Lincoln and co-author of the report, said: “At Healthy Living, we have been examining the pressures faced by parents and caregivers during school holidays for many years and the current evaluation is our largest data collection effort since the Holiday Activities and Food programme began in 2018.
“Our findings demonstrate why government investment in local organisations and volunteers is critical for the health and wellbeing of parents and young people. While further evaluation of HAF funding is needed, the achievements to date are, according to these recently released data, truly inspirational.”
The survey found that 92% of families said the programme helped them worry less about money during the holidays, while 95% said it made it easier to work or manage other responsibilities over the summer.
Parents also reported clear benefits for their children’s development and wellbeing. Almost all parents (95%) said HAF helped their children take part in more physical activities, and 94% said their child tried new activities during their attendance. Nine in ten parents perceived that HAF helped their child become more confident, and 88% said it helped their child make new friends in the community.
The quality of food provision, a core element of HAF, was also highly rated. Eighty-seven per cent of parents reported that the food served was nutritious, 84% found it culturally appropriate, and 81% said their child enjoyed the meals provided.
The study was led by Northumbria University with educational technology platform provider Eequ.