Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what (a) financial and (b) other support the Government (i) is providing in 2019 and (ii) has provided in each of the last five years to schools for summer school programmes.

The Government’s Holiday Activities and Food programme has awarded money to organisations to deliver free holiday club provision for pupils eligible for free school meals over the 2018 and 2019 summer holidays. £2 million was awarded in 2018 and this has more than quadrupled to £9.1 million this summer. The clubs funded through this programme are required to provide free healthy food and enriching activities, including physical activities and elements of nutritional education.

The Department has invested £22 million for the academic years 2017-18 and 2018-19 to enable disadvantaged children and young people living in some of the most deprived parts of the country to participate in extra-curricular activities (including after school and holiday provision) which will enable them to develop essential life skills.

This Essential Life Skills programme is aimed at disadvantaged children and young people aged 5-18 across 12 Opportunity Areas. Within each Opportunity Area, local authorities are receiving grants to develop their own Essential Life Skills programme to meet the needs of pupils and young people in their communities. It is the responsibility of the local Partnership Board in each Opportunity Area to decide what programmes and activities best meet the needs of children and young people in the area.