Holidays Are Fun annual report 2023 to 2024

Teesside, located in the North East of England, is a vibrant and historically rich region that offers a blend of industrial heritage, stunning landscapes, and cultural attractions. Teesside was once renowned for its manufacturing industries, with large steelworks dominating the landscape. Later, these steelworks were joined by chemical industries, many of which remain. In contrast to the heavy industry in Teesside the coastline offers stunning sandy beaches, rugged cliffs, and picturesque seaside towns, whilst inland there are beautiful hills, moors, forests and a regenerated riverside area for residents and visitors to explore.

Within Teesside sits the borough of Stockton-on-Tees. Once a historic market town, the Stockton-on-Tees borough has expanded over the years and is now a large area encompassing Billingham, Ingleby Barwick, Norton, Stockton, Thornaby, Yarm, and several rural villages.

The population of Stockton-on-Tees is approximately 200,000, made up of people from a wide range of cultures and backgrounds. Within Stockton-on-Tees there are approximately 30,000 children between reception and year 11 on roll in our schools. Of these children we know around 8,800 are eligible to claim free school meals and are therefore entitled to access the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme.

Sadly, there are children in Stockton-on-Tees who have never experienced the culture or beauty the region has to offer, and this is why the HAF programme has been vital to our residents and the development of our children. HAF has offered enriching, exciting and life changing opportunities to some of our deprived families in Stockton-on-Tees, many of whom would never have otherwise visited a beach, a museum, a cinema or been horse riding for example.

Deprivation

According to the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2019, the Borough is the 73rd most deprived Local Authority in England (out of 317). There are 27 wards in Stockton-on-Tees, nine of which are in the 10% most deprived wards in the country.

Inequality

There are highly affluent areas alongside areas of deprivation within Stockton-on-Tees. Some parts of the Northern, Western and Southern areas of the Borough are amongst the least deprived in England. For example, there is a gap of 21 years in average life expectancy amongst men between the most and least deprived wards in Stockton-on-Tees.

Cost of living crisis

At present, the rising costs of food, fuel and other essentials are combining with the existing disadvantages and vulnerability in the Borough to put households under significant pressure. This leaves them at risk of hardship and poor wellbeing in the short-term and reduced opportunity in the long-term.

Social Care involvement

Within Stockton-on-Tees we have high numbers of families and children who require additional support from Children's Services.

Children in our care

There are 560 children in our care as an authority. This is a rate of 1.32% per 10,000 children, against a national rate of 0.67% per 10,000 children.

School challenges

Schools are facing several challenges post-Covid. This is evident in attendance data, closely followed by social and emotional wellbeing, which can result in challenging behaviour within both primary and secondary schools and the community.

Domestic violence

Statistics show that domestic abuse affects a quarter of all women at some time in their lives, regardless of age, social class, race, disability, sexual orientation, or lifestyle. The visible consequences of this are obvious to see but the hidden consequences are often underestimated, such as isolation, loss of confidence, fear, and despair.

Diversity

Towns in Stockton-on-Tees and the wider North East have high levels of migrants and asylum seekers. Whilst the area welcomes families and migrants and the diversity of cultures it brings, the demands on local services is high and language, cultural barriers can at times be difficult.

The Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme is funded by the Department for Education and delivered by Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council in partnership with Catalyst. The Stockton-on-Tees HAF team held a competition to rename the programme and selected "Holidays Are Fun" to remove some of the stigma some parents associated with holiday hunger.

HAF is offered to school aged children from reception to year 11 who are in receipt of benefit related free school meals. Recognising that families are struggling in the current cost of living crisis, we have expanded the HAF offer in Stockton-on-Tees to also include families in receipt of universal credit or in financial difficulty. In addition, we have offered vulnerable families open to Children's Services HAF places if referred by their support worker. This allows vulnerable children the opportunity to experience enriching activities in holiday periods, whilst also ensuring they are not hungry when they are not able to access a school meal.

The aims of the HAF programme are to encourage children and young people to:

• eat healthily over the school holidays
• be more active during the school holidays
• be safe and not be socially isolated
• take part in engaging and enriching activities which support the development of resilience, character, and wellbeing along with their wider educational attainment
• have a greater knowledge of health and nutrition
• be more engaged with school and services

HAF is delivered through the main school holidays and offers six weeks of provision with the equivalent of at least four hours a day, four days a week:

• Easter - one week, face to face, minimum of four days
• summer - at least four weeks, face to face, minimum of 16 days
• Christmas - one week, face to face, minimum of four days

Communications material in 2023 to 2024 included a school communications toolkit, news releases, social media posts, adverts in a local "positive news" newspaper, targeted emails to parents who have previously booked Holidays are Fun (HAF), direct emails to staff working with children and families, printed leaflets, posters and pull up banners displayed in community venues, and adverts on digital screens in Stockton high street and Tees Active leisure venues.

The programme has also been promoted on the Council's website, in our Keeping You in Touch weekly staff newsletter, and in our regular stakeholder communications to town and parish councils. The HAF programme is also highlighted on our cost-of-living advice webpage.

In 2023 the Council commissioned a HAF promotional video which can be viewed on Vimeo. This has been used extensively to promote the programme since Summer 2023 and features a range of activities. Providers, including Roseberry Community Consortium and the Globe, make their own videos and use these to promote their activities. In Summer 2023 we also ran a competition asking children and young people to send us reviews of the HAF provisions they had attended.

Harbour works with families and individuals who are affected by abuse from a partner, former partner, or other family member. Families sometimes arrive at our refuges with only the clothes they are wearing; frightened and uncertain they have done the right thing. They can stay with us whilst they take time to think and make changes to the way they want to live.

At Harbour, the funding from Holidays are Fun (HAF) is so valuable as it has allowed us to provide lots of positive and new opportunities for our families and ultimately bring fun and enjoyment back into people's lives at a time when it is needed most. As an organisation we are so grateful to have the opportunity to receive this additional funding as it has made such a difference to so many families we have supported.

School holidays can often be a difficult time for our families. Some families may feel quite isolated as they may have had to move out of area away from family and friends, and having to adapt to a new environment can be difficult. For many of our families they may have experienced financial control and may be struggling financially so the funding from HAF has really alleviated stress and worries for them. Due to domestic abuse some of our families have not had the chance to try new things or do things together as a family and it has been wonderful watching our families having fun together. Hearing the children's laughter has been priceless and lots of new, happy memories have been made. Every day during HAF children were excited to learn what they would be doing next, and it was wonderful seeing these families smile and have fun.

Family A

Family A came into refuge having experienced abuse throughout all their lives. Mum had experienced abuse as a child from family members and was married at a very young age herself. This marriage was abusive in every way. The children also suffered at the hands of their abusive parent, and they had limited experiences throughout their childhood.

The HAF programme over the summer really allowed this family to take part in things they have never had the opportunity to do before. Mum and children had never played or engaged in activities together and it was just so wonderful to see them taking part in activities together and laughing and having fun. Due to their experiences the family had never been on days out together, and the family absolutely loved the trip to the farm. Mum said that this was the best day they have ever had and the excitement in the children's faces when they arrived was just priceless.

We hosted a trip to the beach and this family had also never stepped foot on a beach before. As the children played in the sand making sand castles, mum stood on the shoreline and cried. She said they were happy tears and that she was so grateful for all the opportunities the family had been provided with.

The little things that we take for granted really mean so much to our families and being able to create new and lasting memories is absolutely amazing. This particular family engaged throughout the summer and mum loved the activities just as much as the children. At the end of the summer mum got really emotional and she said that she was crying happy tears for everything everyone has done for her and she said she would have never imagined being as happy as she is now.

From Harbour's perspective, HAF provides opportunities that some families have never experienced before but really benefit from. The HAF programme supports our families with recovery and a life free from abuse moving forwards.

During 2023 to 2024 there were 34 providers involved in the delivery of Holidays are Fun (HAF) within Stockton-on-Tees. These providers included schools, family hubs, charities, childcare providers, and private companies.

The HAF providers worked hard providing engaging, enriching activities in safe, welcoming environments where children had fun and could make new friends.

There was a wide range of activities on offer for children and young people in Stockton-on-Tees, including:

• horse riding
• martial arts and boxing
• swimming
• arts and crafts
• dance
• football
• ice skating
• go climb
• bushcraft
• paddleboarding
• film making and podcasts
• music
• cinema club
• sports

Activities and food

All providers involved in the HAF programme were asked to offer enriching activities, a minimum of 60 minutes physical activity per session and a hot (where possible) nutritious meal that met the school food standards. In addition, providers were asked to deliver education around healthy lifestyle and food choices. Providers met these requirements, and some went over and above, delivering cookery sessions or food workshops or sending home simple recipe cards or meal ideas for children and young people to follow with parents. During the summer HAF provision, children also received a PotGang home growing kit to take home and grow their own vegetables.

Stockton-on-Tees were lucky to be supported generously by Warburtons during 2023 to 2024 which allowed providers to offer an extra meal or snack and carry out a food education activity with children such as making pizzas and sandwiches. Providers also accessed donations and support from other organisations including major supermarket chains and local food providers.

All providers who helped deliver HAF during 2023 to 2024 ensured signposting and referrals were made for families and their children and young people where applicable. Providers displayed information, had leaflets or flyers for distribution and some made folders of information about local services.

To ensure all providers met the requirements of the programme they were visited by both Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council and Catalyst during each holiday period, with quality assurance checks carried out to ensure all guidelines were being adhered to. If there were areas for improvement these were noted and fed back to providers.

With thanks to our providers for 2023 to 2024

We want to thank all of the following providers:  

• ARC Stockton
• BCT Aspire
• Billingham Boxing Academy
• Budo For Change
• Cornerhouse
• Daisy Chain
• Eastern Ravens Trust
• Family Action
• Family Hubs
• Five Lamps
• Football Fun Factory
• Groundwork NE and Cumbria
• Harbour Support Services
• Hardwick In Partnership
• Iron Guidance
• Lisa McGee Education Ltd
• Live It and Get Active
• Outdoor Ambition
• ReGenerate - Hope for Autism CIC
• Roseberry Community Consortium
• Purple Door Studio
• School's Out Sport's In
• School's Out Sport's In Shine
• Simon Carson Sports School
• Sporting Chance
• Stainsby Gymnastics
• Stainsby Stud Riding School
• Tees Active
• Rosedene Nurseries
• Mill Lane Primary
• Tilery Primary School
• High Clarence Primary School
• Bowesfield Primary School
• Layfield Primary School

The Holidays are Fun (HAF) programme in Stockton-on-Tees successfully achieved:

Background: O struggles with his emotions - anger in particular. O displays disruptive behaviour in school which impacts on his learning. O has disclosed historic allegations relating to neglect, emotional abuse and witnessing domestic violence.

O has been engaging with a school support worker around some of the issues impacting his attendance and learning. After building a relationship with O, the school support worker encouraged O to attend HAF, giving him information on a range of available provisions. O decided he would like to try martial arts and attended a provision during school holidays with support from his worker for the first session.

Voice of the child

"It wasn't what I expected. I was really nervous when I walked in, but the staff made me feel really comfortable, they were really nice. I enjoyed learning new stances. It was very laid back which I liked but there were also expectations around our behaviour, for example we weren't allowed to be disrespectful or swear. I have decided to continue the sessions outside of HAF. At the moment I am doing two sessions per week but plan to increase it to five days when the rugby season is over. The other day I had a bad day at school and was feeling really angry, by the time my session ended I had forgotten all about it, when I go there I just feel calm. If I hadn't gone there, I would have just stayed in bed all holidays, I'm really glad I went." 

Feedback from school

School have said that O has been speaking positively about the HAF provider and their other classes and has been trying to encourage his peers to attend. School have seen a positive change to O's emotional wellbeing and resilience and the school support worker confirms he is much happier and confident in himself.

Stockton-on-Tees were granted £916,790 to deliver Holidays are Fun in 2023 to 2024. The breakdown of the actual spend of the funding is:

• administrative expenditure: £88,374
• capital expenditure: nil
• programme expenditure: £788,904
• other expenditure: £32,408
• total expenditure (for 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024): £909,686

We have been providing Holidays are Fun ( HAF) activities within our primary school since 2019. These activities allow children to have fun, eat nutritious meals and enjoy enriching activities all within a safe environment during holiday periods. We feel the HAF programme also encourages children to gain confidence, interact with other children and create lifelong friendships.

Our HAF activities consist of sports, crafts, preparing and cooking food, and much more. Parents are also invited into the school to participate with cooking and to receive additional free food from our community market. The uptake and feedback we have had from attendees and parents alike has been amazing.

The families within our school (almost nine out of 10) are in the lowest 20% deprivation in the country. Rising inflation and fuel bills are causing huge difficulties for many families and the increase in the cost of living has been having a detrimental effect on the families within our school. FSM children are our priority group; however, we also identify vulnerable children as well as SEN pupils who can benefit from HAF.

We have a high level of immigrant and refugee families within our school who speak a vast array of languages. HAF gives our children time to learn about each other outside of the classroom and develop their communication skills.

We acknowledge that physical activities and social interactions all assist with the mental health and well-being of our children. Our PSA is available to oversee the health and wellbeing aspect of the HAF programme and signposts families to relevant places where they can access help and support if needed.

The children see our school as their 'hub' and 'safe' place. The parents see us as a gateway to help in a non-judgemental way. The HAF funding allows us to provide this during the holidays. The provision is needed within this area, and we feel any reduction in this provision would severely impact our families.

Moving forwards we would like to:

• continue to develop and promote the HAF programme to the residents of the borough
• implement a new booking system
• develop the SEND offer where possible
• increase attendance and work with providers to decrease no shows
• continue to support providers with offers of training
• build on current teenage engagement and encourage providers to engage young leaders
• plan for sustainability

We have received a number of comments back from families who have participated in Holiday are Fun. 

Family A said:

It is lovely how we can all get together and help cook and prepare the dinners, I love bringing the children to the lounge every day as both of my oldest enjoy joining in doing the activities which they usually struggle with but here they are flourishing

Family B said:

The girls have always loved your club. They love the staff, the sports, and activities on offer. It's a great opportunity for them to always be active, eat healthy and be in a positive environment in the holidays. Both have absolutely loved being sports leaders and are desperate to return in the Summer

Family C said:

Holidays can be a struggle financially and mentally. It's hard to keep them entertained because everything costs money, especially when you have more than one child. It was so nice to know the kids were having fun with their friends, keeping fit and learning new skills, having a good meal and just enjoying their holidays. It was a huge weight off my shoulder. The provider made the whole family feel very welcome

Family D said:

Child D loves this.  Normally shies away from getting dirty and hands on but the mucking out and grooming.  Being outdoors and around the animals makes a huge difference in our boys' life.  Child D is a fussy eater, and the lady always customises his food to his liking

Family E said:

My children really enjoy riding. It has given them a chance to do something they would not usually do and to learn.  My son is autistic, and he benefits from spending time round the animals as he finds it therapeutic. Thank you