Information for schools and early years settings
Becoming a provider
If you are a school or an early years setting and would like to find out about our flexible delivery models for Easter, Summer and Winter or express your interest in becoming a HAF provider, please contact HAFEOI@lincolnshire.gov.uk.
Our delivery options are as follows:
- The school is commissioned as a full HAF provider
- The early years setting is commissioned as a full HAF provider
- The school venue is provided to a third-party provider for use
- A blended approach of delivery shared between the school and a third-party provider
Becoming a HAF provider starts with completing an expression of interest form, followed by a discussion with the HAF team. Once complete, grant funding will be confirmed, and terms will be shared by the Children’s Strategic Commissioning team for the HAF programme.
The HAF team can provide support to schools to assist them, including:
- Developing a HAF offer bespoke to the school's and children's needs
- Connecting schools to third-party providers and partner organisations
- Full provider training
- Support in overcoming barriers and developing solutions
Advantages
If you're a school becoming a provider, you are likely to know already the children attending and have a relationship with families. This means children, including those with SEND and additional needs, will be attending a safe, familiar environment, reducing the need for families to find transport to a new club. Offering paid places can also destigmatise HAF and ensure children can attend with their friends.
As a school, you'll already have policies and procedures such as safeguarding and health and safety, and your staff will be DBS checked. You will benefit from more significant opportunities to offer your facilities to children, and you may have access to a kitchen onsite to cook healthy meals. You could also access Opening School Facilities (OSF) funding and resources.
Communications
Schools can contribute to the success of HAF programmes by communicating important information to eligible families, such as:
- Ordering and issuing HAF Evouchers
- Signposting families to sign up for the HAF newsletter
- Parent mail/newsletters
- Promoting HAF during assemblies
- Delivering support and group workshops to help families book onto a HAF club
- Initiating conversations about HAF with families during pick-up and drop-off times
- Sharing successes of HAF delivery periods
- Promotion of HAF via the school website and social media channels
HAF Recorded Bitesize: Delivering HAF in Schools
Schools explain why they chose to get involved with the HAF programme and the delivery models they have developed to meet the needs of individuals and the wider school community alongside HAF.
