HAF programme 2026: what childcare providers need to know
Written by The MagicBooking Team | May 21, 2026
6 min readThe HAF programme 2026 includes several important changes for childcare providers, schools, HAF clubs, and holiday provision partners. These changes affect HAF funding 2026, eligibility, administration, inclusion, and long-term planning across the Holiday Activities and Food programme.
The Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme was introduced by the UK government to support children from low-income families during school holiday periods.
The HAF programme helps children access healthy meals, physical activity, and enrichment activities during school holidays.
While the core programme standards remain in place, including providing at least one meal per day that meets the School Food Standards, and a minimum of 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily, some new changes are coming to the HAF programme from September 2026 that childcare providers must take note of.
Want to stay ahead of HAF 2026 changes and rising admin demands? Book a free MagicBooking demo and see how schools and clubs are saving up to 75% of admin time.
HAF programme 2026 explained
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What does HAF funding 2026 mean for childcare providers?
One of the most significant pieces of news is that the government has confirmed a three-year funding settlement of over £200 million per year for the HAF programme, running through to 2028–2029 (Gov.uk).
This means greater stability and longer-term planning is finally possible.
Local authorities can now plan longer-term investment in staffing, technology, infrastructure, and commissioning.
For childcare providers operating out of schools, this is good news as they may find themselves offered longer arrangements instead of short-term contracts.
According to Sustain Web), research involving more than 19,000 parents found that 95% said the HAF programme helped their children take part in physical activity during school holidays.
3 in 4 organisations say MagicBooking helps them scale confidently.
What is HAF eligibility in 2026–2027?
Eligibility for 2026–2027 remains tied to the existing free school meal (FSM) threshold throughout the entire delivery year.
While the government is expanding FSM entitlement from September 2026 to all households receiving Universal Credit, this expansion will not apply to HAF.
That means the programme will not automatically open up to this wider group. Wraparound care providers should be clear with families about this distinction:
- Children who become newly eligible for FSM under the existing threshold will qualify.
- Children who are newly eligible only due to the Universal Credit expansion will not.
Can HAF clubs now run provision during half-term holidays?
A notable operational change for 2026–2027 is that local authorities now have discretion to extend HAF delivery into half-term holidays without needing written DfE approval.
However, spending on half-term provision must not exceed 5% of the total HAF budget. Providers should speak with their local authority coordinator about whether half-term delivery is being planned in their area and what that might mean for their provision.
How are HAF administration rules changing in 2026?
The administration allowance for local authorities has been reduced from 10% to 7.5% of their HAF allocation.
The government has also introduced a new £12.9 million Local Authority Capacity Support Fund, designed to strengthen school-age childcare infrastructure more broadly, including supporting the national rollout of free breakfast clubs.
For childcare providers, this signals a push toward greater efficiency and joined-up working between HAF and wider school-age childcare services.
Cutting manual workload associated with things like Tax-Free Childcare reconciliation or generating daily registers with dietary requirements or allergy notes, is going to be a critical part of becoming more efficient.
MagicBooking helps to ease the admin burden by automating and simplifying most of the childcare management process.
That’s why clubs using MagicBooking save time, up to 75%!
As a HAF booking system, holiday club booking system, and childcare booking software platform, MagicBooking also supports attendance tracking, booking admin, safeguarding records, and parent communication system workflows.
From generating registers, to chasing debtors, and reconciling Tax-Free Childcare vouchers (TFC) or UC payments, MagicBooking brings efficiency to parents and childcare providers alike.
That’s why 80% of schools and clubs report an improved cash flow with MagicBooking.
Find out more about how we can help your childcare provision – book a demo.
MagicBooking also works as a booking and online payments system for schools managing HAF activities and holiday provision.
What are the new HAF expectations around SEND and mixed provision?
The guidance places renewed emphasis on inclusive provision for children and young people with SEND and on engaging older secondary-age children, who often require a different delivery approach.
There is also a strong steer for providers to consider “mixed models” whereby they offer paid-for places alongside HAF-funded ones.
This can support business sustainability and help local authorities meet their childcare sufficiency duties.
Providers are encouraged to register with Ofsted if they have not already, as this unlocks Tax-Free Childcare and Universal Credit support for families.
What should childcare providers do next for HAF 2026?
| HAF 2026 change | What providers should review |
|---|---|
| HAF funding 2026 | Longer-term staffing and planning |
| HAF eligibility changes | Parent communication and how they manage bookings |
| Increased admin pressure | Holiday booking system and automation |
| SEND and mixed provision focus | Staffing, inclusion, and reporting |
| Half-term flexibility | Capacity and holiday provision planning |
- Ensure you are clear on eligibility rules so that you can communicate this clearly to parents.
- Explore new ways of working to maximise efficiency. MagicBooking can help ease the burden of childcare management by offering 24/7 booking availability, automated reconciliation for things like Tax-Free Childcare and Universal Credit, and robust safeguarding and compliance tools. This will be critical in being able to cope with the new administration allowance.
- Approach local authorities to explore longer commissioning arrangements and consider how your offering fits into the broader school-age childcare landscape.
As HAF delivery becomes more complex, many HAF providers are now reviewing their activity booking system and holiday club management processes ahead of HAF programme 2026 delivery.
MagicBooking simplifies bookings, registers, payments, safeguarding, reports, and parent communication. In fact, 84% of organisations say MagicBooking improves club and school staff efficiency.
Head to MagicBooking’s booking page and book a demo to see how schools, HAF clubs, and childcare providers reduce admin pressure and manage holiday provision more efficiently ahead of HAF programme 2026.
Other childcare changes in 2026 to be aware of:
How MagicBooking can help
Planning for HAF 2026 and beyond? Book a MagicBooking demo to see how schools, HAF clubs, and childcare providers reduce admin, improve payment collection, and manage holiday provision more efficiently.
Many providers are also moving to a wraparound care management system or online booking system for clubs to reduce manual admin and improve parent experience.
Being prepared for changes to HAF means more than securing funding. It means making sure your systems, processes, and team can handle growing operational demands confidently.
Book a personalised MagicBooking demo to see how providers improve efficiency, simplify payment collection, strengthen oversight, and scale holiday provision with less manual admin.
Still unsure about what these HAF changes mean to you? Speak to our team of experts today.
If you’re still making your mind up about MagicBooking, read our customer results in numbers, or our case studies – real success stories from real organisations like yours.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What does HAF stand for and what is HAF?
The HAF meaning refers to the government-funded support programme helping eligible children access activities and meals during school holidays.
HAF stands for the Holiday Activities and Food programme. The HAF programme 2026 is a government-funded scheme supporting eligible children through free holiday clubs, food provision, enrichment activities, and school holiday activities across England.
What changed between the HAF programme 2025 and HAF programme 2026?
The HAF programme 2025 continued the existing funding structure, while HAF programme 2026 is placing greater focus on safeguarding, attendance tracking, activity registers, provider management, and reporting. Many local authority HAF programme teams are also increasing expectations around quality and delivery standards.
What is HAF funding 2026 and who is eligible?
HAF funding 2026 is government funding distributed through local authorities to approved HAF providers, HAF clubs, HAF camps, and schools delivering holiday provision. HAF eligibility usually applies to children receiving benefits-related free school meals, although some areas include additional groups.
What HAF activities are included in the Holiday Activities and Food programme 2026?
Typical HAF activities include sports, arts, STEM, wellbeing sessions, outdoor learning, and other enrichment activities. A HAF camp or HAF holiday club may also provide healthy meals, physical activity, and social development opportunities for children.
Why are schools and HAF providers using booking systems for HAF 2026?
Many schools and HAF providers now use a HAF booking system, holiday booking system, holiday club booking system, or childcare booking software to reduce booking admin and improve organisation.
A school booking system, club booking system, or online booking system for clubs can support attendance tracking, safeguarding records, parent communication system workflows, payment collection, and activity booking system automation.
Many schools also use a booking and payments system for schools to simplify payment collection and reduce manual admin.
What should schools look for in HAF software or a wraparound care management system?
A strong wraparound care management system or wraparound care software should support provider management, club administration, school payments system processes, parent booking system access, and holiday club management. Many schools also look for holiday club software, club management software, after school club booking system tools, and a school activity management system that reduces manual work.
What challenges do HAF clubs and HAF delivery partners face in 2026?
Many HAF clubs, HAF camps, and HAF delivery partners face increasing pressure around staffing, safeguarding, reporting, and operational complexity. As the holiday activities and food programme 2026 grows, funded holiday clubs must manage larger volumes of children, bookings, and activity data more efficiently.
