Uneven funding and fragmented support leaves over 600,000 UK children at risk of holiday hunger during the summer period

Many families across the UK are facing increased financial pressures over the summer holidays. For the 2 million who rely on schools for free meals during term time, the absence of this support over the holidays can lead to significant hardship. 

The government is investing in policies to tackle food insecurity for school children by expanding Free School Meals (FSM) eligibility, which would increase more children’s eligibility for locally administered holiday activities and food programmes. 

However, campaign groups are sounding the alarm: they say summer hunger is more than a temporary squeeze but a symptom of deeper structural inequality. And while some support exists, the landscape of provision across the UK remains patchy, leaving many vulnerable families at the mercy of a postcode lottery.

The scale of summer hunger

New survey data from London’s food rescue charity, The Felix Project, reveals that half of teachers in the UK worry that up to three of their students will experience hunger during the summer holidays. This could amount to 675,000 school children at risk of holiday hunger. In more deprived areas, the number of affected pupils is likely to be even higher.

The consequences of this seasonal hunger are serious. Ongoing or frequent hunger harms children’s physical health, mental wellbeing, and emotional development, while also negatively affecting their academic performance and success in school (Childhood, 2028).

Youth charity Buttle UK hears from families who express increased stress, anxiety and shame leading up to summer holidays. The holiday doesn’t just add strain to food budgets, says the charity,  but also means long days without toys, outings, and social interactions. 

What the government is doing

To address holiday hunger, the government has funded the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, allocating £200 million annually to support children eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) with free meals and activities during school breaks. The scheme has been extended to 2026 and allows up to 15% of places to go to non-FSM children at local discretion. 

Councils can also use the Household Support Fund (HSF) for vouchers or direct payments during holidays, though this support varies widely by region. In 2023, English councils used £370 million from the Household Support Fund to provide holiday food vouchers for children on FSM (The Guardian).

The fund is now extended until March 2026 and will be replaced from April 2026 by a new £1 billion‑a‑year Crisis and Resilience Fund, including dedicated provision for holiday meals.

StepChange, which has long campaigned for a more permanent Household Support Fund (HSF), has welcomed the government’s announcement of the new fund, calling it “a lifeline for those in financial difficulty.” Richard Lane of StepChange says: “This announcement confirming a long‑term scheme is a big step forward and a vital foundation to support local areas to build joined‑up support for people experiencing difficult life events and financial crisis.”

Beyond England

While England has a national Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, approaches in the devolved nations differ significantly. 

In Scotland, financial support like the Scottish Child Payment is available, and some councils fund summer clubs. However, there’s no national equivalent to HAF, resulting in inconsistent access across the country. 

Wales runs Food and Fun (SHEP), a government-backed programme offering meals and activities to over 13,000 children in disadvantaged areas. However, challenges remain, particularly around the need for earlier funding confirmation and clearer guidance to help schools take greater ownership of delivery (Food Sense Wales). 

In Northern Ireland, a key holiday food payment scheme was scrapped in 2023 due to budget cuts, making it the only part of the UK where holiday food cost is not available for low income families (BBC). While some initiatives like Cash for Kids NI provide holiday hunger grants to charities and individuals, parents are increasingly at risk of going into debt to cover expenses over the summer (News Letter). 

Without a UK-wide strategy means access to holiday food and activity support often depends on local priorities, political will, and available funding.

Summer clubs: more than just meals

While these schemes are far from perfect, holiday food and activity clubs have emerged as valuable spaces, not just for nourishment, but for dignity. Research published in Nutrients (2019) found that these clubs can reduce food insecurity, foster social support, increase physical activity, and help children develop food confidence. 

Importantly, holiday clubs also help reduce stigma. Families often feel shame about accessing food banks or other “free food” services, but structured programmes that include sports, arts, and learning activities are viewed differently. They allow children to participate in enriching environments without being singled out for their family’s financial hardship.

Jacob Diggle, chief impact officer at UK Youth, welcomed the extension of the HAF programme and emphasised its wider benefits beyond food provision, including access to youth work and enriching activities. “We know youth work sets people up for life,” he says “and our research shows that young people who experience youth work make for happier, healthier and wealthier adults.”

A system under strain

Despite these benefits, the holiday club model is facing increasing strain. The same Nutrients study pointed to challenges including inconsistent food quality, difficulty sourcing ingredients from suppliers, and reliance on overstretched volunteers. 

Many schemes were led by enthusiastic but untrained workers with limited nutritional understanding, leading to inconsistent standards. Without formal oversight or investment in training, experts warn that some holiday clubs risk becoming “sticking plasters” rather than robust interventions.

Meanwhile, uptake of HAF remains uneven. Parents must often register weeks in advance, and access may hinge on digital literacy or having a relationship with a school or community centre. 

Research evaluating Southwark’s HAF programme found that many families are unaware of what holiday clubs are available to them. Because the system relies heavily on parents finding information through schools, churches, or chance, promotion often falls to individual clubs, leading to inconsistent outreach and uneven attendance.

Families with children who have Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) face even greater barriers. Opportunities for inclusive holiday provision are extremely limited, with only 9% of local authorities in England reporting they can meet the needs of most SEND children in their area (BBC).

Structural inequality and political choices

Campaigners argue that summer hunger is not a seasonal anomaly, but a symptom of deeper inequality. Joseph Howes, Chief executive at Buttle UK and chair of the End Child Poverty Coalition, is among those calling on the government to scrap the two-child benefit cap, saying, “If the government is serious about tackling child poverty, it must start with reversing policies that embed it.”

A Trussell Trust report highlights multiple flaws within the social security system, identifying them as major contributors to low income and food insecurity in the UK. These include complex claim processes, inadequate benefit rates and reductions (caps), all of which create significant barriers for vulnerable families trying to access the support they need.

While campaigners call for a more “upstream” and structural approach to tackling child poverty, these solutions take time to implement. In the meantime, urgent interventions such as expanding holiday food and activity programmes and providing cash-first support locally remain critical to ensuring children don’t go hungry or miss out during the breaks.

As the Food Foundation expressed in their #EndChildPoverty Campaign, HAF “should be enshrined in law so that families at risk of food insecurity continue to receive this support.” Making support like HAF and similar initiatives across the UK permanent isn’t just good policy, it’s a lifeline.

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