Source: City of Coventry
Coventry’s popular Holiday, Activity and Food (HAF) programme returns this summer with thousands of activities available for Coventry school-aged children!
Bookings are now open for the Summer programme and will run between 21 July to the 31 August. This year there are over 26,000 activity sessions available, with 16 sessions available to book per child.
This year, there are lots of new activities available, ensuring there are different activities and more experiences than previous years. In addition, the programme is spread across a wide range of venues and locations in the city to make it accessible for as many children as possible.
The programme proved incredibly popular in 2024, with 92% of parents recommending the programme to others and 56% of parents rating the experience as excellent in the post-programme survey. Positive comments from the survey included “very suitable for special educational needs (SEN) children, caters for them effectively”; “I like how children of all abilities are understood and included”; “the kids said the staff were all very encouraging by helping them make friends and have great fun, the activity was an amazing experience for them.”
Our new providers this year include Pet XI specialising in teaching children about AI coding, as well as local company Coventry Building and Welding, providing skills in construction. Both of these new activities will help young people gain practical experience that can help them in a future career and or develop skills in the future.
Councillor Dr Kindy Sandhu, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills said:
“This programme is a great opportunity for children and families who need financial or additional support to partake in activities that all young people should have the opportunity to benefit of, regardless of their personal situation or background.
“They get a wonderful opportunity to do amazing things like AI coding and activity sessions including, science and technology sessions, sports, arts, and crafts, as well as enjoyable fun-filled activities like karaoke, moviemaking, cooking, and lots more.
“Providing these opportunities for children to not only gain more skills and interests, but the chance to make new friends and at the same time benefit from healthy food options, will hopefully ensure an enjoyable summer for many of our local children.
“I would encourage all parents and guardians to learn more by visiting the HAF website and sign up for the 2025 summer programme and take the opportunity to be part of Coventry’s summer programme.”
People will need to check if their child is eligible for the programme, the criteria includes that the child must be in school, undertaken as a ‘child in need’ and fits within specific financial categories such as being in receipt of a means-tested benefit.
The HAF programme is an enrichment programme for children whose families are in receipt of or qualify through other categories which allows them to enjoy fun and memorable experiences, including the provision for healthy food.
Bookings are now open for the summer at the HAF webpages and see if your child/children are eligible.