2019 Holiday Activities and Food Pilot

Enrichment activities and healthy food over the school holidays can help ensure pupils return to school engaged, invigorated and ready to learn. However, evidence suggests that children from disadvantaged families experience the school holidays differently to their more affluent peers.

They are less likely to access organised out-of-school activities; more likely to experience social isolation; and more likely to experience 'unhealthy' holidays. The Department for Education is undertaking a programme of work to explore ways of supporting disadvantaged children to access free enrichment activities and healthy food during the school holidays, including a pilot programme in the 2019 Easter and summer holidays.

This will enable the Government to make an evidence-based decision about if, and how, to intervene in this issue in the longer-term. We are holding a series of stakeholder events in order to help us explore a range of delivery options for the 2019 pilot programme.

Additional information: DfE invites organisations and individuals with experience in delivering, coordinating or facilitating holiday activities and food provision to participate in one of the stakeholder events which will inform the development of the 2019 pilot programme. The events will be held in the following locations and on the following dates: • Thursday 28th June from 1-4pm in London • Tuesday 3rd July from 10.30-1.30pm in London • Thursday 5th July from 11-2pm in Sheffield If you participate in these events, you will not be given any advantage over other potential providers who express an interest, when DfE commences the procurement for the pilot programme. DfE wishes to ensure that this market engagement does not compromise or prejudice fair and open competition between potential providers in any future procurement.