Big Norfolk Holiday Fun Provider FAQs
On this page you can find answers to some of the most common provider questions around the Big Norfolk Holiday Fun programme. Please note, this page is for activity providers. If you are a parent looking to book your child onto an activity session, click here.
If you can’t find the answer you’re looking for, please email [email protected].
To be a provider, you must
- Provide activities for children aged 5-16 years in Norfolk
- Run in the Summer, Winter and/or Easter holidays
- Be inclusive and able to accommodate SEND needs
- *Be a current member of The Safer Programme
- Be able to provide a hot meal as part of your offer. (Cold meals are only accepted where a hot meal is unable to be provided because of the choice of location)
You must also have the following up to date documentation:
- Safeguarding policy
- DBS checked staff
- Public Liability insurance (ideally to £5million)
- Mobile Phone Policy
- Up to date First Aiders in your delivery staff
- Risk assessment which includes your venue and activity you will run
- *Food Hygiene Level 2 certification for your delivery staff
*The Big Norfolk Holiday team can assist you in accessing these for free.
Providers who offer activities for 12-16 year olds; SEND; or swimming and cycling are especially welcome.
Please email [email protected] to be added to our mailing list for more information as it becomes available.
The funding for the programme is paid on a sessional basis. There is no upper or lower limit but you will be asked for a breakdown of costs by staffing; venue hire, food, admin and marketing, and must justify these when you apply.
We may offer a different number of places or sessions than you apply for.
Our team will confirm all funding with you prior to your activities starting.
The funding covers:
- Food, including snacks and drinks for the funded children
- Staffing
- Venue hire
- Marketing (see Marketing section for further details)
- Administrative costs to ensure your time for data collection
- Enrichment activity items such as for craft or cookery
- 121 staffing and transport costs for the funded children- in prior agreement /application with the BNHF team
- Safer Programme membership
- Level 2 Hygiene rating on request
- Regular drop in events with free training opportunities, networking, and funding updates
- Transport as part of organised trips
Funding does not cover
- Transport costs for staff or volunteers
- Food, drinks or snacks for staff or any other supporting adults (eg at family events)
- Safeguarding training/other associated staff training costs
- Generic items for your business not directly and exclusively for the delivery of the BNHF programme; eg if you run a football club, we will not pay for new footballs
If you are a new provider, or have a substantial offer across multiple sites, your application will be considered at a funding panel and there may be some additional questions and clarifications to respond to before a decision is made.
Yes. The funding is for an offer that includes a healthy meal. This should be a hot meal wherever possible. Only providing snacks or a repetitive offer of cold food such as a pre-bought sandwich is not acceptable.
It is mandatory for delivery staff to have a Food Hygiene Level 2 Certificate to serve any food.
The food business you use must be registered with the Food Standards Agency and be either awaiting inspection or have a rating of 3 stars or more to be acceptable.
You are asked to list your food costs in your application. You may wish to do this per head, or combine the food costs with the nutritional education element (e.g. the children cook or prepare their own food.)
Please look to minimise waste food wherever possible.
There are many opportunities to include ways to discuss healthy eating and lifestyle choices with the children as part of your programme. You do not need to ‘teach’ any prescribed information. The government website suggestions include:
- Getting children involved in food preparation and cooking
- Growing fruit and vegetables
- Taste tests
- Discussing food and nutrition
- Including food and nutrition in other activities
There are many resources online, and once you become a provider you can access our resource bank. You will be invited to drop-in provider sessions, and will have the chance to get tips from other providers who are already part of the programme.
Visit the government’s website, which contains all the information you need relating to school food standards: Standards for school food in England – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
You will automatically be on our mailing list once you are a provider and will have access to free online training and networking opportunities. If you need further support, please contact [email protected] and let us know as soon as possible.
We ask that you aim for at least 4 days a week for the holiday period, but if you cannot deliver for four days, you can still be part of the programme.
A session should be 4 hours as a minimum (at least half a day).
In that 4 hours, you must have at least 1 hour of physical activity, an offer or enrichment activities, a healthy meal, and the opportunity for the children to learn about healthy eating.
Your offer should be sustainable; you should have a plan on how you will reduce food waste and be environmentally friendly.
There are three types of places available on Big Norfolk Holiday Fun activities:
- Free School Meal (FSM) funded place: The programme is aimed at means-tested FSM children who receive means-tested free school meals, so the majority of places offered should go to them.
- Paid-for places: A small number of places can be reserved for paid places, where parents will pay for their child to attend. However, we would expect the majority of places to go to FSM children and it is essential there is no difference in the offer you make to those on the funded or the paid for places. This ‘blended’ offer is a good way to prevent stigmatising the FSM children.
- Referred or Awarded: Only a small amount of the overall funding is for other categories of vulnerable children who would benefit from a free place, but providers should be aware this covers a wide criteria. For these places, a professional who works with the child such as social workers, foster carers, police or school staff can formally apply on their behalf using the referral system in place. Providers can also refer children if they know the family or child.
All Big Norfolk Holiday Fun providers should make use of the provided activity platform to list your activities and take bookings. You can also take payments through this for regular paid spaces. (Please note that any fees incurred for using the payment option on the platform will be your responsibility.)
Please note that as of 2026, bookings will be taken and managed through Eequ.
The Active Norfolk team will check you’re setup correctly before we launch.
A child must be both entitled to and accessing means-tested free school meals to get a free place. Therefore, home-schooled children need to be referred in for a free place, even if they are entitled to these.
All children from reception to Year 2 get universal free school meals. This is not the same as means-tested free school meals and parents/carers should be encouraged to apply for means-tested even if they already receive universal.
Families can find out if they are eligible and can apply to register their child for means-tested free school meals via the NCC website (apply for free school meals)
Always encourage parents to check and apply using the link above.
Referrals from professionals who are aware and working with the child in question, such as social workers, foster carers, police or school staff, or providers with good prior knowledge of the child should complete the referral form as soon as possible. We cannot accept self referrals from parents.
To refer a child, fill in this form.
To stay up to date with the HAF programme, you will be invited to attend the monthly HAF drop-in sessions which will provide you with updates and changes regarding the programme. In addition, you will receive weekly newsletters with the latest reminders and signposting to support your work.
Eequ booking platform FAQs
As of 2026, Eequ is the official booking system for Big Norfolk Holiday Fun. Having been used by several councils delivering their local HAF programmes across the country, this platform is tried and tested by many.
Through this system, you can list your activities and the public can search and book on easily. You can also set up paid places for those not eligible for means-tested free school meals. The system makes use of automated processes to perform eligibility checks and make the booking and reporting processes easier for everyone involved.
The benefit to you
- Less administration: The improved automation system will mean less administration for your team.
- Improved provider functionality: Improvements such as a ticket system to offer a set number of Free School Meals and SEND spaces depending on your staff capacity have been added. You’ll also have the ability to amend and part cancel bookings without having to contact us.
- Integrated comms: The ability to send out auto generated emails/texts to people signed up to your activities through the system.
- Activity duplication option: Create your own activity template and duplicate it with ease to save having to input all the details again.
- Improved analytics: Easily filter and export your activity reports, and see the interactions with your activity.
The benefit to users
- Improved functionality: Eequ addresses the requests we’ve received from parents, including the ability to book multiple sessions, and part cancel bookings
- Account feature: Having received the feedback that parents miss having a login section, each parent will be able to view their bookings in one bespoke section that relates to their email
- Improved search function: Users can make use of the free text search bar and find activities and favoured providers with ease.
All providers are required to use Eequ to list and promote their activities, even when you take bookings on another site. The only exception is when funding is for a closed provision not open to the public, therefore not requiring advertising.
If you cannot use the Eequ booking system, for any reason you must notify the Big Norfolk Holiday Fun team. The amount we can pay you upfront is determined by whether you use Eequ to take bookings.
We will let providers know the opening date of each programme in plenty of time for you to get activities listed.
Here are the questions that are gathered from users:
-
- Attendee First name*
- Attendee Surname*
- Date of birth*
- Gender*
- Postcode*
- Dietary requirements (including allergies)*
- SEND* – yes or no
- Learning needs, personality, health notes and adjustments needed or any concerns
- Select all the reasons for this child’s HAF eligibility: free school meal recipient (FSM), home*
- Name of school*
- Special school – yes or no
- Consent for photography*
- Emergency contact*
An asterisk * indicates a required field
We can also ask bespoke questions on your behalf if you require additional information in advance of your session.
We have dedicated Eequ HAF Provider Support. Please email: [email protected] if you have questions related to the set-up of your activities.
Get in touch
If you don’t see the answer to your question, or you would like to arrange a call to speak with someone about the Big Norfolk Holiday Fund in more detail, please drop us a line.
Get in touch