More Devon children could qualify for free Christmas holiday activities
Devon County Council has announced a temporary extension to its Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, allowing some families who would otherwise miss out to continue accessing funded places during the winter school holidays.
Children across Devon who risk missing out on free holiday activities following changes to government eligibility rules could still qualify for support this Christmas.
Devon County Council has announced a temporary extension to its Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, allowing some families who would otherwise lose access to continue benefiting from funded places during the winter school holidays.
The move follows changes to free school meal eligibility introduced at the start of the 2026/27 academic year, which have created a distinction between children entitled to free meals at school and those eligible for free holiday activities.
From September, the government expanded free school meal eligibility to include all children from households receiving Universal Credit.
However, eligibility for the HAF programme remains linked to the existing, stricter criteria, generally covering children from Universal Credit households with annual earnings of £7,400 or less.
This means that some children who have newly qualified for free school meals under the expanded rules will not automatically be entitled to free holiday activities.
Devon County Council has now confirmed that children who previously accessed HAF but no longer qualify solely because of these changes may still be eligible for funded activities this Christmas.
The temporary arrangement will apply to the winter 2026 programme only, alongside the council's existing discretionary eligibility criteria.
Councillor Richard Jefferies, Devon County Council's Cabinet Member for Children's Services, said: "To help support families through this transition, Devon HAF will temporarily extend its eligibility criteria for winter 2026."
Bookings for the programme opened on Monday, November 2, with more than 100 venues across Devon offering free activities and meals to eligible children and young people.
The Department for Education-funded scheme supports children aged five to 16 during the school holidays, with activities ranging from swimming, climbing and outdoor adventures to cooking, drama, music and dance.
Some providers will also offer festive experiences, including pantomime tickets, Christmas trips and seasonal hampers.
All clubs will operate for a minimum of four hours and provide a healthy hot meal.
The council has also highlighted efforts to improve access for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), with specialist activities available and families able to filter sessions according to location and individual needs.
While the temporary extension offers support to families affected by the eligibility changes, funded places will continue to be prioritised for children meeting the national HAF criteria.
Devon's existing discretionary arrangements may also allow some other children to attend, including children in care, previously looked-after children, young carers and those with education, health and care plans. However, these places are limited.
The council is encouraging eligible families to book early, with places at popular activities expected to fill quickly.
Parents and carers can check available activities and make bookings through the online Eequ booking system.
Further details about the programme, including eligibility requirements, are available on Devon County Council's website.