If your child gets benefits-related free school meals, the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme gives them up to 16 free holiday club sessions this summer, each at least four hours long, with a free meal included at every one. The summer 2026 programme is live now across West Sussex, with more than 50 clubs running through the holidays (22 July to 31 August).
It is one of the best-value things the county runs for families, and every year plenty of eligible families never hear about it. This guide covers exactly who qualifies, what the sessions involve, and how to book, based on West Sussex County Council's own programme pages.
What is HAF?
The Holiday Activities and Food programme is a government-funded scheme, run locally by West Sussex County Council, that pays for holiday club places during the Easter, summer and Christmas school holidays. The aims are simple: children stay active, eat healthily, and do enriching activities while school is out, at no cost to eligible families.
This is not a token scheme. Sessions run for a minimum of four hours, every session includes a proper free meal, and the summer entitlement is the biggest of the year.
Who qualifies
Your child qualifies if they receive benefits-related free school meals and have started primary school.
The distinction that catches families out: universal infant free school meals do not count on their own. Every child in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 gets free school lunches automatically, but HAF eligibility needs the benefits-related entitlement, which depends on your household circumstances. Plenty of infant-age children do qualify for both. If you are unsure which your child has, ask the school office.
Children starting primary school in September 2026 become eligible from the winter holidays onwards.
HAF at a glance
| Summer 2026 | |
|---|---|
| Sessions per child | Up to 16 (4 days a week for 4 weeks) |
| Session length | Minimum 4 hours |
| Food | Free meal at every session |
| Cost | Free |
| Eligibility | Benefits-related free school meals |
| Booking | Open now (opened 9am, Monday 8 June) |
| Clubs running | 50+ across West Sussex |
| Contact | haf@westsussex.gov.uk (email only) |
What the sessions are like
West Sussex HAF providers run a genuinely wide programme: forest and beach schools, skateboarding tuition, table tennis, music production, computer programming, sports and multi-skills, multi-activity camps, and arts and crafts. The mix varies by district, and clubs run in towns across the county, so most families can find something local.
Every session includes a free healthy meal, and providers build in food education alongside the activities. For children with SEND, the council works closely with providers to meet individual needs: raise your child's needs directly with the provider when booking, and contact the HAF team if nothing in the booking system looks suitable.
How to book
Booking opened at 9am on Monday 8 June and remains open through the summer, subject to places:
- Create an account on the council's online HAF booking system, linked from the WSCC HAF page.
- Enter your child's HAF code. It is printed on your Free School Meal award letter; the school office or haf@westsussex.gov.uk can supply it if you cannot find the letter.
- Search providers and book sessions. You can spread the 16 sessions across different clubs and weeks.
- Repeat per child. Each child needs their own booking against their own code.
Popular clubs fill first, so the earlier in the holidays you book, the wider the choice, but sessions remain bookable while places last.
Top tip: you do not have to use all 16 sessions in a block. Four days a week for four weeks is the maximum shape, and many families spread sessions across the six-week holiday to break up childcare instead.
Not eligible? What free things are still on
HAF is means-tested, but plenty of the county's best summer activities are free for everyone. The Summer Reading Challenge runs free at all 36 West Sussex libraries through the holidays, and our free summer holidays guide rounds up everything that costs nothing this summer. For the full six-week picture, see our Summer Holidays 2026 guide, and for paid holiday clubs and camps across the county, our holiday clubs directory covers the commercial providers. Our school holidays hub keeps dates and booking-ahead lists in one place all year.
Programme details verified against West Sussex County Council's HAF pages on 22 July 2026. The council notes there is currently no HAF phone line: contact is by email at haf@westsussex.gov.uk. Always check the WSCC site for the latest booking status.