The Department of Education are the key funders of Essex ActivAte and therefore have their own guidance relating to the Holiday Activities and Food programme. Please see here the guidance which contains the framework and expectations that we are set to achieve through our delivery.
As part of the programme we are able to use a small amount of the funded spaces for children who fall outside of the FSM eligibility requirement, yet would benefit from attending a club to support their wellbeing.
We are now managing this via a referral process working with our Child and Family support services who are in direct contact with those children who would benefit.
If you work with children of school age who you believe would benefit from attending a club over the Summer Holidays where they will receive a nutritious meal, you are able to refer them to our programme. Please contact us to get the necessary form: [email protected]
Those suitable would be:
- Vulnerable child / Child in Need (CiN) Plan
– Care experienced child/ previously care experienced child
- Transition phase between nursery/primary or primary/secondary (access to the programme for the holiday before your child starts school)
- Education, health and care plan (EHCP)
– Young carer
- Child protection plan / known to social services
- At risk of school exclusion or Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA)
- Lives in an area of high deprivation / from a low income household not in receipt of income related free school meals
- Refugee status / asylum seeker
Once we receive your referral, we will check the eligibility against the list highlighted above and then raise a unique code for the child with 20 credits for the Summer provision. A unique code will be sent direct to the parent / or the referral partners in order to make the booking.
Please see here a visual to support your understanding.
Cancellation and No-Show policy
During the delivery of Essex ActivAte 2024 we had a fantastic amount of bookings through the HolidayActivities booking platform, however of the spaces booked, we then had just under a third of spaces cancelled last minute or children simply not showing up. This meant that hundreds of eligible children missed out on attending a free holiday club and resulted in a large amount of food wastage.
What to do if you cannot attend:
We appreciate that plans may change and there may be times where your child/ren can’t attend. If this happens, please cancel their place/s and give the holiday club provider as much notice as possible, preferably 48 hours. This allows another child/ren the opportunity to attend the club and benefit from the programme. It is easy to cancel a booking on Holiday Activities, just follow this link to tell you how – Parent FAQ’s: https://help.holidayactivities.com/hc/en-gb/categories/14823946082705-I-m-a-parent
Non-attendance info:
If a child doesn’t attend two or more booked sessions over the holiday period and their place isn’t cancelled in advance, this will result in all of the child’s bookings being cancelled for the remainder of the holiday with that Essex ActivAte Club. This will enable other child/ren to be offered the place(s).
If you have any questions regarding the Essex ActivAte holiday clubs, please contact [email protected]
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