A cash boost for research into the best ways to support disadvantaged children during the school holidays has been announced.

The Department for Education has announced that £2 million will be available for organisations to research how to help the most disadvantaged children benefit from healthy meals and enriching activities when schools are closed.

The setting up of the Holiday Activities and Food Research Fund was announced in January. The £2 million announced today will pay for initial research in 2018 into alleviating “holiday hunger”.

This work will test the effectiveness of interventions, look at take-up of provision, identifying the costs involved; and consider whether there are particular areas where this kind of programme would be most effective.

Following this initial scoping work a targeted pilot programme is due to take place in the 2019 Easter and summer holidays - there will be a separate bidding process for these programmes.

Nadhim Zahawi, education minister, said: “I encourage charities and expert organisations across the country to apply to take part in this exciting programme to help us better understand children’s current access to healthy meals and enriching activity during the school holidays.

“We want every child to reach their potential and healthy meals and activities can contribute to their development and improved attainment.”

Bids for the money must be made by 18 April 2018. 

Today’s announcement comes after the DfE said last week that £26 million is to be pumped into supporting breakfast clubs across England.

More than 1,770 state schools will benefit from the breakfast club cash, with money targeted at the most disadvantaged areas of the country.

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