Please note that registrations for the Dudley HAF programme are currently paused while we update the system to reflect the new Free School Meals and HAF eligibility criteria for 2026–27.
The next HAF programme will take place during the Christmas school holidays.
Updated programme information will be available from the end of the October half-term.
2026/27
From the academic year 2026 to 2027, the government will extend Free School Meals to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit. This represents a significant expansion of food support to households, reaching over half a million children.
HAF eligibility will not expand in line with this change. HAF will remain a targeted programme, aligned to the existing FSM threshold (targeted FSM), to ensure the programme continues to reach those it is designed to support.
Targeted FSM
Free school meals for children in households with household income below the existing threshold which is £7400. This group remains eligible for HAF.
Expanded FSM
From September 2026, FSM will also be available to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit who have a household income of more than £7400. This expansion does not include HAF eligibility.
Finally, we would like to thank Dudley Youth Council for helping to design this website and coming up with the fantastic and cute character of Terry the Trilobite, firmly marrying the design to the Dudley Bug or Dudley Locust which was first identified by 18th-century quarrymen locally and has since become a proud symbol of the borough.
Keeping your child happy and fulfilled during the holidays can be a challenge; and we want to support parents and carers. As part of the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme, each child is eligible for up to 4 free activity sessions during the Easter school holidays, 16 during the summer and 4 during Christmas school holidays.
Funded by the Department of Education and hosted by Dudley Council, we work with local organisations to provide a variety of exciting activities and clubs for kids as well as providing healthy food at each session they attend.
