Free SEND=specific summer holiday camps now open for booking
This summer, we’re excited to be running a SEND Holiday, Activities, and Food camp specifically for children aged 7-14 with special educational needs and disabilities who also claim benefits-related free school meals.
This summer, between Monday 29th July and Wednesday 21st August, we are running a specialised Holiday, Activities and Food (HAF) camp at Addington Valley Academy School in New Addington for children between 7 and 14 with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) who claim benefits-related free school meals.
Please note, this holiday camp is only open to SEND children between the ages of 7-14 who either live or go to school in Croydon and claim benefits-related free school meals.
WHAT?
Our SEND HAF programme is a fun-based child-led activity camp offering children and young people the opportunity to take part in a wide variety of physical and classroom-based activities ranging from sports such as football, basketball, tennis and dodgeball to more classroom-based arts and crafts activities like drawing and painting, making items like windcatchers, Lego, and SEND sensory toys such as wooden Geo, Activity and Pin-Art boards.
These fun-led activities, delivered by our very experienced pool of Disability Coaches and Disability Care Assistants, will be managed by our Full Time Disability Department which provides a variety of impairment-specific and Pan-Disability sessions throughout the year in local schools and sports centres.
We will provide every attendee with a hot, healthy, and nutritious meal to ensure they can access a healthy, balanced diet during their time with us.
Unfortunately, we are unable to take any children who need 1:1 supervision or personal care for accessing the toilet or who need support or assistance whilst eating.
WHEN?
Our SEND Holiday Camps will be running for four weeks during the school summer holidays from 10:00 – 3:30.pm Monday to Wednesday, between 29th July and 21st August.
The dates are:
- Monday 29th July – Wednesday 31st July
- Monday 5th August – Wednesday 7thAugust
- Monday 12th August – Wednesday 14thAugust
- Monday 19th August – Wednesday 21st August
WHERE?
Holiday camps will be at Addington Valley Academy School, Field Way, New Addington, Croydon CR0 9AZ.
For any families who need free SEND transport to get them from school and back during school term times we can arrange this at this camp. Please contact Michael Harrington for more details at michaelharrington@palaceforlife.org
WHO?
Our SEND HAF programme is ONLY open to SEND children between the ages of 7-14, who either live or go to school in Croydon who also claim benefits-related free school meals.
We ask that all those making bookings provide as much information as possible on the needs and challenges of their children so we can best cater for them whilst they are with us. Please ensure this is included when booking.
HOW TO BOOK A SPACE
Parents of eligible children will receive an email or text from hello@holidayactivities.com stating ‘You have been issued a voucher’ (do check your junk folder in case it lands there!) containing a voucher from HolidayActivities. The email or text is due to be out on Wednesday 26th July.
You will receive your unique code once you have claimed the voucher. Vouchers are allocated by schools and distributed to parents by our booking platform system ‘HolidayActivities’. The voucher will tell you how to access the booking platform.
Children and young people in receipt of benefits-related free school meals are eligible for free spaces on the HAF Programme. Additionally, Schools can allocate a further 15% of vouchers on a discretionary basis to children who would be considered vulnerable or at risk during the holiday period (for example, if a school has 100 children in receipt of benefits-related free school meals, you can allocate a voucher to up to 115 children).
Reasons to allocate a child a discretionary place could include:
- Vulnerable child / Child in Need (CiN) Plan
- A young carer
- A Child protection plan / known to social services
- At risk of school exclusion or Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA)
- Refugee status / asylum seeker
Please note this list is not exhaustive, and we recognise there may be other reasons. Please contact your school if you think this applies to your child.
You will be asked to register, or log in if you have already used the system before, to link your email address to your code. You will then find a list of all holiday clubs running this Summer and will be able to book on our SEND course at Addington Valley Academy.
SUPPORT AVAILABLE
In order to be eligible for the HAF Programme, you must be in receipt of benefits-related free school meals. If you believe you are eligible for benefits-related free school meals, but do not currently receive them, contact your child’s school who can support you in applying for them to ensure your child can attend our SEND HAF camp.
If your child is already in receipt of benefits-related free school meals but you haven’t received a voucher, please contact your child’s school. Double-check your child’s details with the school, such as whether they are on the benefits-related free school meal list and/or whether your email address on the school system is correct. Schools will be able to support in allocating a voucher to your child.
If you have any questions for anyone at Palace for Life about our SEND HAF Holiday Camps, please email admin@palaceforlife.org.