Help and support if you’ve recently arrived from Ukraine

There is provision for activities and childcare for children during the school holidays. There are childcare options in the school holidays which parents can utilise depending on children's ages. These are:

• Ofsted registered childcare such as childminders and nurseries
• Ofsted early years registered holiday schemes
• Holiday clubs

Just like in term time, many childminders and nurseries provide childcare during the school holidays. A childcare provider that offers provision during term time may offer holiday childcare, but it is up to individual families to check with them as soon as possible. For help finding childcare please refer to the Buckinghamshire Family Information Service website.

Families entitled to Tax-Free or funded childcare may be able to use this to help cover holiday childcare costs.

For agencies working with families who require support finding childcare, further support and guidance is available from the Early Years’ brokerage service (see below), where a member of the Access & Inclusion team will discuss their needs and support them in finding out what is available in their area.

The HAF Programme is funded by the Department for Education and provides free holiday activities and a healthy meal for children in Reception to Year 11 who receive benefits-related free school meals.

The programme runs during the Easter, Summer and Christmas school holidays.

To join free HAF activities, children and young people need to be registered with their school as eligible for benefits-related free school meals.

If you do not currently receive benefits-related free school meals, contact your child’s school who will help you to apply. There is more information on the Family Information Service website on who is eligible for free school meals and how to apply.

HAF holiday clubs run for:

• at least four hours each day
• At least four days per week over four weeks in the summer holidays
• At least one week in the Easter and Christmas holidays

You can see further information about our HAF programme on the Family Information Service website, including the activities available and how to book your child's HAF sessions.

There are a variety of options for out of school care – sometimes called wrap around care that provide childcare for children of school age. This can be before school, afterschool or both. Some are paid for by parents according to their need.

Some schools have Breakfast and Afterschool Clubs on site and may be run by the school themselves or another provider. Your child's school will be able to provide the details of what is on offer.

There are also private afterschool clubs that run from sites near to schools and offer a pick-up service.

Some Childminders offer before and after school care, providing drop off and pick-ups from schools.

Some nearby Nurseries or preschool providers offer a before and after school service and may include pick up and drop off service. Many of the before and after school clubs may also run a school holiday club as an additional service.

Families entitled to Tax-Free or funded childcare may be able to use this to help cover out of school care childcare costs.

For help finding out of school care please refer to the Family Information Service website.