ease INTO programme

The ease INTO programme

North Tyneside Council was awarded funding from the Department For Education in 2022 to deliver the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, known locally as the ‘ease INTO’ programme.

The funding is intended for the provision of free places at 'holiday clubs' during the Easter, Summer, and Christmas school holidays for children in the local authority area who are eligible for income-related free school meals.

The expectation is that children should benefit from four days of face-to-face provision at Easter, 16 days in the summer and four days at Christmas. A day should include at least four hours of activity and in most cases, we expect providers to run four days per week.

In North Tyneside there are over 8,800 children and young people who are eligible for free school meals. The aim is to reach around 20% of eligible participants at Easter and Christmas and 30% in the Summer.

We are keen to work with local providers to deliver a high-quality programme of activity. We welcome applications from the public, private or voluntary and community sector.

Applying

Applications for 2026 are open. You can apply online by filling in this application form.

Service delivery

North Tyneside Council is working with partners to incorporate additional offers into their programme. Previously this has included ice rink visits and surfing lessons, successful applicants will have the opportunity to benefit from access to this type of activity to enhance their programme.

Organisations may apply for activities in all three holiday periods through one application. There are opportunities to deliver in the half term holidays, you can indicate if you wish to do this within your application by ticking the box.  Key dates for the 2026 programme are:

How we help each other 

To improve the programme:

• we have a Steering Group help oversee the programme
• we have a Grant Panel made up of internal and external members specialist experience
• we have a team to help to promote and co-ordinate activities identify gaps, develop a plan for local delivery, administer funding and manage the delivery of the programme
• the team evaluates the programme after each holiday period
• the HAF team gains feedback from families and young people to help guide delivery (this work includes directly commissioning work that young people have asked for)
• support for providers will be available through VODA (for support from VODA email info@voda.org.uk)

Guidance for your application 

We expect funding to be allocated as follows (based on the percentage of students living in each area eligible for free school meals):

• Approximately 24% for the North West of the borough (Backworth and Holystone, Camperdown, Forest Hall, Killingworth, Longbenton and Benton, Weetslade)
• Approximately 29% for the South West of the borough (Battle Hill, Howdon, Wallsend Central, Wallsend North)
• Approximately 15% for the North East of the borough (Cullercoats and Whitley Bay South, Monkseaton, New York and Murton, Shiremoor, St Mary’s, Whitley Bay North)
• Approximately 32% for the South East of the borough (Chirton and Percy Main, North Shields, Preston with Preston Grange, Tynemouth)

We will not accept applications where the cost per head, per day is more than £30, unless there is a clear reason such as needing 1:1 support workers for children with additional needs.

To be included in the ease INTO programme, you must meet our aims, objectives and requirements, more information is available below.

The Department for Education’s guidance can be found on the government website.

Aims, objectives and requirements

Food

All children attending an ease INTO activity should be given at least one healthy meal per day. Meals must meet school food standards, make reasonable adjustments for participants with dietary requirements, provide a variety of lunch options, including hot meals where possible, and be appealing to children.

If your organisation is unable to provide meals, you may use an external caterer to fulfil this requirement. The team can support you in finding and contacting an appropriate caterer, however, it is your responsibility to ensure that meals meet our standards.

Parents of children and young people who have attended ease INTO activities have advised that their children enjoyed being involved in food preparation and young people have told us that they liked trying new foods.

Physical activity

One of the key aims of the programme is to help kids to be more active during the school holidays. We expect all children to take part in at least 60 minutes of physical activity on each day of the holiday programme.

Feedback from parents and young people has shown us that variety is important when it comes to physical activity. Examples from previous delivery periods include traditional sports such as football, rugby and tennis which appeal to children and young people. However, participants have also tried dancing, nature walks, crab football, surfing, games and more.

Enriching activities

All ease INTO programmes must provide fun and enriching activities that give children opportunities to develop new skills or knowledge, try new things and build their confidence.

It is important to bear in mind that enriching activities are a separate objective to physical activities and programmes should include a mix of both.

Parents said that activities have improved their child’s wellbeing and confidence when they were able to try new things that they were apprehensive about.

Children have mentioned specific new experiences that they enjoyed which included activities with animals, painting, den making and outdoor activities.

Nutritional education

Activities must provide an opportunity for families to develop a greater knowledge of health and nutrition. Each day of activity should include an element of nutritional education and should aim to invite parents and/or carers along to sessions on a weekly basis.

We know not all providers will have expertise on nutritional education, so we will provide support through training and resources to use.

Parents and carers have told us that their children enjoyed being involved in cooking which is a great way to make learning about food fun and encourage trying new things.

Signposting and referrals

Providers are encouraged to provide information, signposting or referrals to other services where it would be beneficial to the children and families who participate in their programme.

Operational guidance

Staffing

Providers will:

• ensure all staff members have suitable job descriptions, person specifications and, where relevant, contracts of employment and DBS checks
• ensure processes are in place which focus on the training and the continued professional development of staff
• ensure all staff directly employed within the service are competent to fulfil their roles (it is the responsibility of the provider to monitor, manage and develop the performance of the workforce)
• More detail is available in our guidance document, email haf@northtyneside.gov.uk for an updated copy of this. 

Policies and procedures

Policies and procedures will be regularly reviewed and will be available on request. More guidance is available which you can get by emailing haf@northtyneside.gov.uk. 

Health and safety

Providers must be compliant with all appropriate health and safety regulations for the type of service/project being delivered. Policies must be in place and all staff and volunteers should be inducted and able to deliver in accordance with risk assessments.  

Insurance 

If your application is successful, copies of insurance policies and the level of cover in place may be requested as evidence.

Safeguarding adults and children and young people

Providers will have policies and procedures in place that conform to the principles contained in the Authority’s Safeguarding Adult’s Policy. Policies and procedures should include definitions of abuse, guidance on how to recognise abuse, how to report concerns, and how it will be investigated. Read more about safeguarding adults on the safeguarding adults pages of the North Tyneside Council website.  

All professionals within North Tyneside have a duty to consider the safety and wellbeing of children. North Tyneside Safeguarding Children Board (NTSCB) has produced procedures and guidance in respect of safeguarding children. All private sector organisations, which provide services to children or young people or their families, shall comply with the section 11 duties set out in the ‘Shared Responsibilities’ section of this guidance.  

Providers will have policies and procedures in place that conform to the North Tyneside Children Partnership procedures, the Children Act 1989 and 2004 and Working Together 2015. Read more on the North Tyneside Safeguarding Children Partnership website.

FAQs

Are we looking at particular areas of North Tyneside?

We will accept applications for any area of North Tyneside, however, we know that there are some areas with a higher number of eligible children and we have some parts of the borough that see high competition for HAF funding. The application guidance provides further detail on this, which the team will share with you if you. Email haf@northtyneside.gov.uk for more detail.

Can children who are not eligible for free school meals be included in the activity?

85% of HAF funding must be used for children who are eligible for free school meals.

15% of funding can be used for other children, for example those with SEND or living in areas of high deprivation. Please discuss with the team if you would like to access the 15% funding.

We would also encourage providers to plan for some paid-for spaces for families with children and young people who are not eligible for free provision.

Do providers have to run for 4 hours a day, 4 days per week?

Our aim is to provide a 4x4 model at each holiday period. However, providers may be flexible to meet the needs of their participants.

For example, providers could choose to provide activity two days a week but run for more weeks of the holiday or activities for children and young people aged 11 to 16 may be better delivered as shorter evening sessions.