Fun and Food Programme for Children in Receipt of Benefits-related Free School Meals (Summer 2026)

The Council wishes to seek multiple Providers to deliver the Fun and Food programme to Children in Receipt of Benefits-related Free School Meals within the boundaries of County Durham.

This project utilises Department for Education (DfE) funding which is for school aged children in receipt of benefits related free school meals.

All providers must meet DfE framework of standards as below:

• Food Provision

• Enrichment Activities

• Physical Activities

• Increasing Awareness of Healthy Eating, healthy lifestyles, and positive behaviours

• Signposting and referrals and supporting families

• Safeguarding

• Policies and Procedures

Please note - sessions do not need to be exclusively for children in receipt benefits-related Free School Meals, alternative funding may be sourced by the organisation to fund children ineligible for DfE funding i.e parents/carers may be charged for sessions by the activity organisation.

Providers will be asked to bid and submit a proposal for the Summer Holidays 2026.

Successful Providers' contracts, as delivered under the Summer 2026 holiday provision, may be extended/varied to cover delivery in the Christmas school holiday period. At the sole discretion of the Council, providers will be identified and approached for Christmas delivery, this is likely to be dependent on successful achievement from Summer 2026 delivery under this contract and Commissioners professional judgement.

If Successful Providers meet the threshold that the Commissioner deems as successful delivery, they will be emailed a proposal form for completion for the next school holiday period. The same evaluation criteria will be applied to the subsequent proposals.

There is also a possibility that DCC may acquire funding from different sources that may be used for main school holidays, half term holidays or funding for participants to attend that are not in receipt of Benefits-related Free School Meals. Where this is the case successful providers will be updated regarding the scope of delivery.