Commenting on the announcement of a £170m Covid Winter Grant
Scheme and the expansion of the Holiday Activities and Food
Programme in 2021, Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the
Association of School and College Leaders, said:
“We welcome the announcement of more funding to support
disadvantaged families, particularly during school holiday
periods.
“The commitment of £170m channelled via local authorities to the
end of March appears to address the immediate need to ensure that
children do not go hungry over the Christmas and February
half-term holidays.
“We are at a loss to understand why this scheme could not have
been introduced in time for the October half-term holiday which
has recently finished.
“Nevertheless, the commitment over the next few months is a
positive step forward and should help to address the fact that
the financial circumstances of many struggling families will have
worsened as a result of the Covid emergency.
“We would like to see more detail about the longer term plan to
greatly increase the funding available for the holiday activities
and food programme.
“It will be important to ensure that children in the greatest
need benefit from this programme and we will be seeking
assurances about the processes to ensure this will be the case.
“It is a huge spending commitment so it must be delivered as
effectively as possible.”
