What is Essex ActivAte?
Essex ActivAte is the name for the Holiday Activity and Food programme across Essex, run by Active Essex, Essex County Council and Thurrock Council on behalf of the Department for Education. The Easter, Summer and Christmas holidays are predominantly funded by the Department for Education, with Essex County Council extending this funding to support working families and vulnerable young people. Essex County Council also fund an extension of the programme to offer clubs during many of the Half Terms, as they recognise that children and families also need support during the shorter school holidays.
The programme aims to support the physical and mental wellbeing of primary and secondary school children, through engagement in a wide variety of activities. This is delivered through face to face clubs, outreach groups, activity packs and YouTube content.
Who will run each individual club?
We work with a network of locally trusted organisations to deliver clubs across Essex. Some providers are running a single club from their own venue, some larger organisations are running multiple clubs across the county. We hand pick and work very closely with these organisations to ensure all clubs maintain the same standards of care, provide a wide variety of activities and offer a free school meal standard lunch. Each venue will feature trained coaches who will be working with the children each week, so if you are booking multiple days / weeks, it will be the same team delivering sessions each week. In addition to this some clubs will also have visits from other external activity providers, such as Essex Library Services, the Educational Music Hub, animal handlers, children’s entertainers or other local organisations.
How do I get in touch with the individual club provider?
You can find contact details for each delivery partner within the map on each locality booking page. If you have a general enquiry please message us on Facebook or email [email protected].
What will face to face holiday clubs involve?
Each Essex ActivAte holiday club will deliver fun physical and enrichment activities, and provide a tasty, nutritious meal. The activities on offer will change depending on the club provider, venue and day of the week. For more details about the activities on offer you’re your child will be attending, please contact the individual club provider.
Who is eligible to book onto Essex ActivAte clubs?
Our free holiday clubs are for school aged children and young people who are eligible for benefits based free school meals. Essex County Council are also extending the offer to provide a number of spaces for children and young people from working families who require this financial support during the school holidays.
My child receives free school meals because they are in reception / year 1 / year 2, does this make them eligible?
We are afraid these free spaces are only for children who receive benefits based free school meals, or those from low income working families. Therefore children who receive free school meals due to their year group are not eligible, unless you are a low income working family.
What is considered a ‘low income’?
We do not means test or ask for household income / hours. We understand that these criteria aren’t the only factors that contribute to a families financial situation. If you are in employment and are on an income which means you could never afford holiday clubs without our support – you can book on. We ask that each family self-verifies their ‘low income’ status, and we hope that if families were able to afford clubs they would pay for one of the many paid spaces that lots of our partners offer. If you would like support in finding paid spaces, please do message us on Facebook (@EssexActivAte).
If my child is not eligible for a government funded space, does that mean they can’t attend an Essex ActivAte club?
Not necessarily, some clubs do offer paid spaces alongside government funded spaces. Please contact the individual club provider to enquire about this.
My child is 4, they start school in September, are they able to attend Essex ActivAte clubs?
Unfortunately not. The Holiday Activity and Food programme is targeted specifically at supporting school children during the holidays, and is therefore only for children who have already begun school.
Are Essex ActivAte clubs suitable for children with SEND?
All Essex ActivAte clubs are inclusive, with trained SEND ambassadors and Mental Wellbeing ambassadors across Essex.
In addition, Active Essex and Essex County Council also recognise that some children require additional support or a calmer environment. We are therefore running SEND and Mental Wellbeing Hubs across the county!
Mental Wellbeing Hubs are in place to support children and young people who may not be comfortable in some of our more busy mainstream clubs. These shorter sessions provide a calmer environment, with activities chosen to promote creativity, relaxation, mindfulness, and creating a safe space for children to enjoy activities and speak to peers or team members.
SEND Clubs are run by specialist coaches, providing tailored activities for those with special educational needs or disabilities. We have created a new dedicated booking page for these clubs, so that families can easily filter by area and see the level of support each club is able to offer.
How do I book onto a club?
To book onto a club head to our booking page and then select the area in which you live, or another category that applies to your child(ren). From there you can explore the clubs on offer via the map or the list below and visit the provider’s booking page to find out more / book on.
The booking link is not working for the club I am interested in, how can I book on?
If the arrow only takes you back to the same page, please read the description to see if this club requires you to book via email. If not it means this is a club which has just been set up and we are awaiting the booking link. These clubs should have the words ‘coming soon’ displayed in the description. If this is the case check back at a later date. If a club link is not working and the description does not state ‘coming soon’ please email [email protected] to report the issue.
Do I have to book onto my nearest club?
You do not necessarily need to book onto your nearest club, you can travel as far as you are willing to access the club you wish. We have organised clubs by districts so that you are easily able to view clubs in nearby areas. If you aren’t sure which club to choose, please look through the provider’s booking links to find out a bit more about each club, and then select which you would like to book onto.
Is there any difference between free spaces and paid spaces in terms of how to book or what my child will experience?
We have worked hard to ensure there is no difference between government funded spaces and paid spaces. If a club is running paid spaces alongside free spaces, there will be no way to differentiate between the two. All children will arrive at the same time and take part in the same activities, with the same lunch provided.
A small number of clubs are offering an extended day for a small fee, these spaces are predominantly for working families who require the longer day due to work hours. Throughout the rest of the day these children will be entirely integrated.
The booking process will depend on which club you have opted for, however no matter whether bookings require a voucher code or are taken through a slightly different page, there will be no difference between the experience at clubs.
What dates / times do clubs run?
We aim to run clubs at least 4 of the 5 working days each week of the school holidays. We do not run clubs on bank holidays, but we endeavour to run clubs across all other days of the week.
My child has specific needs, who should I speak to about this?
Please get in touch with the club provider to discuss your child’s needs and any arrangements that may need to be made.
I have a question about day to day club running’s, who should I contact?
To find out specifics about what activities will be provided, what food will be on offer or what a day at the club will look like please contact the club provider.
Can I stay at the club whilst my child takes part?
Within most clubs it is not standard practice for parents to stay, as we hope this support will allow you time to do your own thing. However you can get in touch with the delivery partner to enquire about staying to watch or what facilities are available at the venue while you wait. If your child has additional needs and would be more comfortable if you were nearby we completely understand this, please contact the individual club provider to make these arrangements.
Can my child’s carer attend with them?
If your child has additional needs and usually has a carer during the school holidays they are of course able to attend with them. In these circumstances we would most likely recommend your child attends a SEND or Mental Wellbeing Hub, as activities are tailored to children’s needs and staff are experienced in this type of care. If you are arranging a carer to attend please contact the individual club provider to inform them beforehand.
Please note that if your child usually has a carer at school during term time, our funding does not cover this one to one support at our holiday clubs.
Do I have to drop off and pick up my child at the stated times?
Where possible it is best to drop off and collect at the stated times, however if you need to adapt this please contact the club providers to make arrangements.
What does my child need to bring with them to the club?
This will depend on the club and what type of activities they will be doing. Most providers will inform you of this during the booking process or after you have booked on, however if you are still not sure please contact the club provider for more details.
If my child is unable to attend face to face clubs for any reason, are there any other resources available for them?
Yes! We have a number of free resources available online, including activity packs for different age groups and hours of content on the Find Your Active YouTube channel. These all include a range of physical and enrichment activities, with many inclusive sessions and family activity ideas. These resources will be available from the Support page and from local club providers once the summer holidays begin!
