HAF Annual Report 2023/24

Information on what our inclusive mainstream and specialist HAF clubs offer for children and young people.

Buckinghamshire’s mainstream HAF clubs offer a range of enriching activities that give the children and young people accessing them the chance to develop new skills, make new friends, become more physically active and create new memories.

Activities on offer include:

• street dance
• drama
• cooking
• coding
• sports
• outdoor adventure activities and much more!

Some HAF providers also organised trips as part of their offer, these trips included football stadium tours, museum visits, trips to the cinema, escape rooms, pantomimes, rock climbing, community stream cleaning and a walking tour of London, with each trip offering unique experiences for all the young people in attendance.

Buckinghamshire’s specialist SEND HAF clubs allow for children and young people with special educational needs and/or a disability with more complex needs to also benefit from holiday activities.

The number of providers and venues offering specialist SEND HAF grew in number across 2023 from 5 to 8 with both existing and new clubs offering a variety of enriching and physical activities which are tailored to suit the needs of the participants; delivered by staff who have skills and experience in working with children with SEND, using appropriate staffing ratios to meet the needs of each child or young person attending; with some settings operating mainstream and SEND clubs in parallel to one another allowing for full integration where possible.

Our inclusive mainstream HAF clubs are also committed to supporting children and young people with SEND and where possible, they make necessary adjustments to their provision to enable those with SEND to participate in and benefit from the activities they offer. This is achieved through a combination of inclusive practice and financial assistance from the HAF Programme to enable appropriate staffing ratios on site.

The HAF programme has also worked with Thomley (a SEND provider) to offer overnight camping stays for families of children and young people with SEND across 2023 with 31 eligible families enjoying stays in specially adapted camping pods to enjoy activities during the day and a family BBQ in the evening before staying the night and eating a healthy breakfast together.