The department has not made a formal assessment of the merits of introducing regional variations in summer holiday dates.

School holidays are not determined at national level and are decided locally by trusts, schools and local authorities, depending on the school type.

The department encourages collaboration between schools, trusts and local authorities in the setting of term dates to minimise any disruption or inconvenience to families. In doing so, they should consider the importance of regular school attendance to children’s attainment, wellbeing and wider development.

The department will keep this policy area under review, including considerations of the impacts of different approaches to school holiday arrangements.

The department has not made a formal assessment of the merits of introducing regional variations in summer holiday dates.

School holidays are not determined at national level and are decided locally by trusts, schools and local authorities, depending on the school type.

The department encourages collaboration between schools, trusts and local authorities in the setting of term dates to minimise any disruption or inconvenience to families. In doing so, they should consider the importance of regular school attendance to children’s attainment, wellbeing and wider development.

The department will keep this policy area under review, including considerations of the impacts of different approaches to school holiday arrangements.

The department has not made a formal assessment of the merits of introducing regional variations in summer holiday dates.

School holidays are not determined at national level and are decided locally by trusts, schools and local authorities, depending on the school type.

The department encourages collaboration between schools, trusts and local authorities in the setting of term dates to minimise any disruption or inconvenience to families. In doing so, they should consider the importance of regular school attendance to children’s attainment, wellbeing and wider development.

The department will keep this policy area under review, including considerations of the impacts of different approaches to school holiday arrangements.

Businesses in the travel sector consider many factors when setting prices including demand at peak times such as during the school holiday period. However, during periods of lower demand, the travel industry often offer early booking discounts or free chid places, for example. Some will offer late booking deals by reducing prices.

While no specific assessment has been made by the department, the government recognises that this can be a cost to families. We continue to engage with the industry, encouraging competitiveness, price transparency and innovation to promote growth and to ensure that consumers cans choose the best deals.

In December 2025, DCMS published Youth Matters: Your National Youth Strategy, a 10-year cross-government plan backed by over £500 million of DCMS funding over three years to improve opportunities for young people, including establishing or refurbishing up to 250 youth spaces.

Local Authorities have a statutory duty under Section 507B of the Education Act 1996 to secure sufficient youth services and activities based on local need. The National Youth Strategy committed to improve local youth offers so young people have access to more opportunities in their area. To achieve this, DCMS is funding local authorities to deliver the Young Futures Hubs and Transformation Programme to improve local youth services and establish a network of 50 Young Futures Hubs by March 2029.

The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport clubs through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery Funding. This investment includes over 90 Place Partnerships in various locations across the country with high deprivation and low activity levels.

For holiday activities, the Department for Education funds the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme to support children from low-income families by providing access to nutritious meals, enriching activities and safe places during school holidays. Over £600 million has been confirmed for the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme over the next three financial years from 2026/27.

Improving the cost and availability of childcare is a priority for this government. Families can receive support with costs through Tax-Free Childcare, Universal Credit Childcare and the Flexible Support Fund.

The government has committed over £600 million to the holiday activities and food (HAF) programme from 2026/27, providing children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds with free meals and enriching activities during school holidays. In a recent survey of 20,000 parents and carers, more that 90% said HAF helped them worry less about money during the holidays and made it easier for them to work.

The department has not assessed the cost of holiday childcare. This year, we are providing £12.9 million to support local authorities with school-age childcare. To monitor this, we are collecting termly data to provide us with a broad picture of the availability of holiday childcare.

The government is committed to giving every child the best start in life. That’s why the department recently confirmed over £600 million for the holiday activities and food (HAF) programme for the next three financial years from 2026/27. Delivering best value for money through our programmes is a priority for this government and our HAF guidance sets this out for local authorities.

The department expects all providers who are funded through the HAF programme to meet our framework of standards, and we expect that assurance visits are focused on ensuring this is the case.

Local authorities are responsible for gathering information about the children and families they are supporting. Following each holiday, the department asks local authorities to report on their activity.

The department requires a certificate of expenditure from each local authority which must be signed by the chief financial officer or chief internal auditor. These support the regularity assurance statement for the National Audit Office.

Through our Plan for Change, the government is committed to giving every child the best start in life. On 28 August 2025, the department confirmed over £600 million for the holiday activities and food (HAF) programme for the next three financial years, from 2026/27. This equates to just over £200 million each year.

This multi-year commitment gives parents and providers certainty that clubs will be available over what can otherwise be an expensive holiday period, ensuring that children and young people continue to benefit from enriching holiday experiences and nutritious meals. The programme also opens up work opportunities for parents on low incomes to support their families.

The programme is delivered by all 153 local authorities in England, providing over 500,000 children per year with healthy meals and enriching activities in the Easter, summer and Christmas holidays.

In Easter 2025, the latest data available, there were a total of 20,282 HAF funded attendees across the North East. We do not publish figures for individual local authorities.

The government’s Plan for Change sets out a commitment to give children the best start in life, breaking the link between background and opportunity.

Children become eligible for an early education and childcare place from 1 September, 1 January or 1 April, the term after they reach the relevant age and meet relevant eligibility criteria.

Depending on when a child is born and when the eligibility criteria are met, there will be differing periods to wait until the relevant termly date.

Termly deadlines enable local authorities and childcare providers to better plan and ensure sufficient early years places are available for parents each term, as there are clear periods for when children are likely to enter into a place.

I refer the hon. Member for Surrey Heath to the answer of 3 October 2025 to Question 73205.

Research by the Children’s Commissioner in 2023 found that any amount of term-time holiday is associated with lower GCSE results. This research is accessible here: https://assets.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/wpuploads/2023/11/CC-REPORT-_-Attendance-and-Attainment-_-Oct-23.pdf.

Recent research conducted by the department in 2025 found that at both key stage 2 and key stage 4, attending an extra two weeks of school is associated with a 30% higher chance of achieving the expected outcome at key stage 2 and a 10% higher chance at key stage 4. This research is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67c96d7dd0fba2f1334cf2ed/The_link_between_attendance_and_attainment_in_an_assessment_year_-_March_2025.pdf.

Absence does not just affect the child missing school, it also increases teacher workload. Research published by the National Foundation for Educational Research in 2019 shows that school absence disrupts learning for the whole class. The research is accessible here: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED594391.pdf.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

Through the Spending Review, the department has announced funding to ensure the poorest children do not go hungry outside of term time, supporting our ambition to end mass dependence on emergency food parcels.

The Household Support Fund (HSF) is a scheme for local authorities to provide discretionary support to vulnerable households in the most need. The department is providing £742 million in England to extend the HSF by a further year, from 1 April 2025 until 31 March 2026. This will enable local authorities to provide vulnerable households with immediate crisis support towards the cost of essentials, such as energy, water and food, and develop their schemes to help prevent poverty locally and build local resilience.

The government also remains committed to the Holiday Activities and Food programme to ensure children who are eligible for free school meals can access enriching activities and healthy meals during school holidays. More than £200 million has been allocated to the programme from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026.

Local authorities already have responsibility for setting term dates for schools where they are the employer, including community schools, community special schools, voluntary controlled schools, pupil referral units and maintained nursery schools. These will be set in line with the requirements set out in the Education (School Day and School Year) (England) Regulations 1999.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education regularly engages with ministers from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, including through the government’s Opportunity Mission, where improving school attendance is a key focus. The cost of tourism in school holidays is a significant challenge for families, and we remain committed to tackling the cost of living.

Everyone, including children and young people, should have the opportunity to play sport and do regular physical activity. The Government has committed to continued funding for grassroots facilities which will ensure that communities have access to high-quality, inclusive facilities, no matter where they live.

The Government recently announced £100 million additional funding for the UK-wide Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme which funds new and upgraded pitches, facilities, and equipment, so that sites can provide a more inclusive and sustainable offer throughout the year, including the school holidays.

More widely, the Government has confirmed more than £200 million of funding for the Holiday, Activities and Food (HAF) programme over the 2025/26 financial year. The HAF programme provides healthy meals, enriching activities and free childcare places to children from low-income families over the school holidays, benefiting their health, wellbeing and learning.