There are 500,000 children growing up in poorer families who are confronted by a similarly cruel cliff edge to the one covered by your article (Chancellor urged to fix £100k childcare ‘cliff edge’ that prompts parents to cut work, 10 September). It is this group of children who, having recently become eligible for means-tested free school meals during term time, are disqualified from accessing the holiday activities and food (HAF) programme. While the government has rightly acknowledged the need for those children to receive extra help during term time, it has somehow reached the decision that this need does not extend into the school holidays.
HAF is a terrific programme providing nutritious meals, enriching activities and free childcare for many families. Since its introduction, eligibility for it has always been linked to the receipt of free school meals. But the government’s decision to break that link will result in working parents, earning as little as £7,500 a year, being unable to access this vital support. Any gains accruing to their children in term time risk being wiped out by this lack of support in the holidays.
There is still time for the budget to restore the link between free school meals and HAF. Failure to do so will lead all too many low-income families towards a cliff edge in next year’s school holidays.
Andrew Forsey
National director, Feeding Britain
