2019 Holiday Activities and Food Pilot

Tender description

The Department for Education is exploring options to award grant funding to organisations to pilot local coordination of free holiday provision (healthy food and enriching activities) for disadvantaged children in a number of local authority areas across England. We envisage that these coordinators will be responsible for funding and overseeing free holiday provision in their area - ensuring there is enough good quality provision to meet demand; and that those who need the provision are aware of it and can access it. School holidays can be particular pressure points for some families and there is a growing body of evidence of a holiday experience gap with children from disadvantaged families less likely to access organised out-of-school activities; more likely to experience 'unhealthy holidays' in terms of nutrition and physical health; and more likely to experience social isolation. In January 2018, the Government announced a programme of work to explore the best ways to address this issue, including a pilot programme for 2019. We are exploring options around establishing a grant fund to pilot local Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) coordinators in a number of local areas across England who will fund, support and promote provision in their area. During the bidding process it would be our intention to welcome bids from: • A range of organisations (including local authorities, third sector organisations and existing providers), provided they can evidence the ability to deliver at this scale; and • both individual organisations and from partnerships and consortia, although we would expect there to be a lead organisation and accountable body for the partnership or consortium. The DfE is not committing to undertake any formal commissioning activity resulting from this notice, and we may use the information gathered via this process to support any future commercial activity. Organisations intending to bid for grant funding for this work would need to be able to start work from Spring 2019 with provision delivered during the 2019 summer holidays. The value of the grant fund is yet to be determined. Grants would be awarded from spring to autumn 2019 although this is an estimate only and will be further informed by responses.