Information for providers

North Tyneside Council was awarded funding from the Department For Education in 2022 to deliver the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, known locally as the ‘ease INTO’ programme.

The funding is intended for the provision of free places at holiday clubs during the Easter, Summer, and Christmas school holidays for children in the local authority area who are eligible for income-related free school meals.

The expectation is that children should benefit from four days of face-to-face provision at Easter, 16 days in the summer and four days at Christmas. A day should include at least four hours of activity and in most cases, we expect providers to run four days per week.

In North Tyneside there are over 7,800 children and young people who are eligible for free school meals. Our aim is to reach around 20% of eligible participants at Easter and Christmas and 30% in the Summer.

We are keen to work with local providers to deliver a high-quality programme of activity. We welcome applications from the public, private or voluntary and community sector.

Applications for 2024 are now open. You can apply online by filling in this application form.

Guidance for your application can be found below. 

We expect funding to be allocated as follows (based on the percentage of students living in each area eligible for free school meals):

• Approximately 24% for the North West of the borough (Weetslade, Camperdown, Killingworth, Longbenton, Benton)
  Approximately 29% for the South West of the borough (Northumberland, Battle Hill, Wallsend, Howdon)
  Approximately 15% for the North East of the borough (St Mary’s, Monkseaton North, Whitley Bay, Cullercoats, Valley)
  Approximately 32% for the South East of the borough (Collingwood, Preston, Tynemouth, Chirton, Riverside)

We will not accept applications where the cost per head, per day is more than £30, unless there is a clear reason such as needing 1:1 support workers for children with additional needs.

To be included in the ease INTO programme, you must meet our aims, objectives and requirements, more information is available below.

You can read the Department for Education’s guidance here.

Food

All children attending an ease INTO activity should be given at least one healthy meal per day. Meals must meet school food standards, make reasonable adjustments for participants with dietary requirements, provide a variety of lunch options, including hot meals where possible, and be appealing to children.

If your organisation is unable to provide meals, you may use an external caterer to fulfil this requirement. The team can support you in finding and contacting an appropriate caterer, however, it is your responsibility to ensure that meals meet our standards.

Parents of children and young people who have attended ease INTO activities have advised that their children enjoyed being involved in food preparation and young people have told us that they liked trying new foods.

Physical activity

One of the key aims of the programme is to help kids to be more active during the school holidays. We expect all children to take part in at least 60 minutes of physical activity on each day of the holiday programme.

Feedback from parents and young people has shown us that variety is important when it comes to physical activity. Examples from previous delivery periods include traditional sports such as football, rugby and tennis which appeal to children and young people. However, participants have also tried dancing, nature walks, crab football, surfing, games and more.

Enriching activities

All ease INTO programmes must provide fun and enriching activities that give children opportunities to develop new skills or knowledge, try new things and build their confidence.

It is important to bear in mind that enriching activities are a separate objective to physical activities and programmes should include a mix of both.

Parents said that activities have improved their child’s wellbeing and confidence when they were able to try new things that they were apprehensive about.

Children have mentioned specific new experiences that they enjoyed which included activities with animals, painting, den making and outdoor activities.

Nutritional education

Activities must provide an opportunity for families to develop a greater knowledge of health and nutrition. Each day of activity should include an element of nutritional education and should aim to invite parents and/or carers along to sessions on a weekly basis.

We know not all providers will have expertise on nutritional education, so we will provide support through training and resources to use.

Parents and carers have told us that their children enjoyed being involved in cooking which is a great way to make learning about food fun and encourage trying new things.

Signposting and referrals

Providers are encouraged to provide information, signposting or referrals to other services where it would be beneficial to the children and families who participate in their programme.

Policies and procedures

Providers are required to demonstrate safeguarding arrangements and to have relevant policies and procedures in relation to safeguarding, health and safety, insurance, and accessibility and inclusiveness.

Are we looking at particular areas of North Tyneside?

We will accept applications for any area of North Tyneside, however, we know that there are some areas with a higher number of eligible children and we have some parts of the borough that see high competition for HAF funding. The application guidance provides further detail on this, which the team will share with you if you. Email haf@northtyneside.gov.uk for more detail.

Can children who are not eligible for free school meals be included in the activity?

85% of HAF funding must be used for children who are eligible for free school meals.

15% of funding can be used for other children, for example those with SEND or living in areas of high deprivation. Please discuss with the team if you would like to access the 15% funding.

We would also encourage providers to plan for some paid-for spaces for families with children and young people who are not eligible for free provision.

Do providers have to run for 4 hours a day, 4 days per week?

Our aim is to provide a 4x4 model at each holiday period. However, providers may be flexible to meet the needs of their participants.

For example, providers could choose to provide activity two days a week but run for more weeks of the holiday or activities for children and young people aged 11 to 16 may be better delivered as shorter evening sessions.