Holiday Activity & Food Programme at Little Learners Playspace Ashington

Since 2018, the HAF programme has provided support to children in receipt of free school meals through holiday periods. We were delighted to bring the HAF programme to our dedicated learning space, Little Learners Playspace Ashington.

Research has shown that the school holidays can be economic pressure points for some families. For some children that can lead to a holiday experience gap. Children from low-income households are:

• less likely to access organised out-of-school activities
• more likely to experience ‘unhealthy holidays’ in terms of nutrition and physical health
• more likely to experience social isolation

The HAF programme is a response to this issue. Evidence shows that free holiday clubs can have a positive impact on children and young people, which is where Little Learners Playspace comes in. We have devised a 2 week long programme over the Easter Holidays where children are invited to come and play, enjoy a hot meal and make their mark!

Our sessions have included all of our usual early writing and messy play activities, all in our unique playspace setting. However, we have expanded our age range for the duration of the holiday, now inviting children up to age 10 to come and play as a family. It has been so lovely to see older children enjoy Playspace with their younger sibling, helping them make their mark together!

During the Easter Holidays we have hosted some new faces, as well as some of our favourite regulars who have joined us for extra sessions. We’ve also been able to reconnect with some of our past learners who have aged out of our usual activities – it’s been fabulous to see how they’ve grown!

Even better, HAF funding has allowed us to create a dedicated SEND session EVERY DAY of the holidays, allowing young disabled people and their families to enjoy Playspace with a carefully designed set of activities. Furthermore, we have also welcomed Northern Lights and Useful Vision to join us for their own separate sessions.

HAF Funding has generously been provided by Leading Link, a Northumberland based charity as well as the Department of Education. Our fabulous catering has been supplied by Betty’s Ashington.