We have just received this brilliant news regarding Calderdale’s delivery of the Healthy Holiday programme.
We would like to express our thanks to the Community Foundation for Calderdale & Calderdale Council for giving us the opportunity to be involved in such a valuable and needed programme.
We’ve just received the latest HAF Benchmarking Report from the DfE, and Calderdale has been ranked top in the UK for Free School Meal reach, with 57.7% of eligible children accessing the programme in Summer 2025.
For context, the national average was 20.8%, so this really is an incredible achievement.
Here are a few standout highlights:
- Highest FSM reach nationally – 57.7%
- 100% of providers rated Good or Excellent (national average: 80.7%)
- Low no-show rates, showing strong engagement from families
- Excellent value for money
- Primary reach of 88%, with ongoing work to strengthen secondary participation
This is a huge achievement, and it genuinely wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work, creativity and commitment from all of you. Every provider, venue, volunteer and partner has contributed to Calderdale being recognised nationally, and I just want to say a massive thank you.
It would be great if you could share this news widely within your organisations – with your schools, venues, leadership teams, governors, and any potential new partner schools you’re working with. The more people who see what we’ve achieved together, the better. This is something we should all be shouting about!
Calderdale Community Coaching Trust 