Education secretary Bridget Phillipson: 'A child's background won't determine their future'

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has vowed Labour will “break the link between a child’s background and their future” as a new survey showed how government-funded holiday clubs helped parents.

The survey, which quizzed 20,000 parents and carers over 50 local authorities, found nine out of 10 parents worried less about money during school holidays after receiving support through the Best Start Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme.

More than half a million children are set to benefit from the programme in 2026 after a £600 million government investment extended it for three years. The government recently revealed its child poverty strategy pledging to end the two-child benefit limit and lift half a million children out of poverty by 2030.

Phillipson told Big Issue: “Child poverty is a stain on our country. Today, 4.5 million children are growing up in poverty – 900,000 more than in 2010. We know that poverty damages children’s life chances, their health, and their futures. And we know that the cost of inaction – both to those children and to our economy – is simply too high.

“That’s why our historic child poverty strategy will lift 550,000 children out of poverty by 2030 – the biggest reduction in a single parliament since records began. We are determined to break the link between a child’s background and their future.

“The Best Start Holiday Activities and Food programme is a vital part of this work. Every parent knows the pressure that school holidays can bring – the worry about keeping children fed, entertained and cared for while juggling work and stretched household budgets. Especially around Christmas, families are feeling the pinch that little bit more.”

Read more:

• Was the child poverty strategy worth the wait?
• Gordon Brown: ‘This can’t go on – 4.3 million people in poverty is unsustainable’
• Labour’s new Family Hubs are the ‘successor’ to Sure Start. As child poverty rises, will they work?

The Best Start Holiday Activities and Food programme provides free places for school-aged children from reception to year 11 who receive benefits-related free school meals.

The government estimates that the programme saves parents £300 a year and helps tackle holiday hunger. These savings are on top of up to £8,000 saved through free breakfast clubs and government funded childcare.

“That’s real, tangible support – giving families breathing room when they need it most, and helping parents stay in work without having to choose between their job and their child’s wellbeing,” Phillipson added.

“Through Best Start holiday clubs, through free breakfast clubs, through every measure in this strategy, we are giving every child the very best start in life. Every child deserves a fair chance, and this government will make sure they get one.”

The survey found 94% of parents said Best Start HAF clubs helped their child try something new while 90% saw their children grow in confidence and 86% said their kids enjoyed cultural activities.

Meanwhile, 95% of parents said the clubs made it easier to get to work over the holidays.

One mum of two from Cornwall said she found the holidays “tough financially” but said her children “absolutely loved going” to the clubs. “It provides them with fun things to do, a nice lunch and socialising with other children,” she added.

A Big Issue Changemaker back in 2020, professor Greta Defeyter, dean of social mobility at Northumbria University and lead author on the national parents and carers HAF survey, said: “To our knowledge, this is the largest survey of HAF provision ever undertaken in the UK, meaning the government and others can have real confidence in the data we have gathered.

“Our survey comprehensively shows how HAF supports child development and helps ease the cost-of-living pressures. This rich detail will help to inform HAF’s development in the short, medium and longer term.

“I am delighted that the UK government has confirmed HAF will be funded for a further three years. Local authorities and organisations can now plan effectively and fully integrate HAF into wider policies, programmes and activities, bringing real benefits to families and young people across the country.”

The much-delayed child poverty strategy was finally unveiled earlier in December with Labour responding to widespread calls to reverse the two-child limit on benefits.

The strategy also pledged to end the unlawful placement of families in bed and breakfasts beyond the six week limit, expand free school meals, and invest in family services.

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