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Extracurricular Activities

Asked by Helen MaguireLiberal DemocratDepartment for EducationTabled Answered 21 October 2025UIN 80953

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of increases in living costs on children's levels of access to (a) extracurricular activities, (b) school trips and (c) enrichment programmes.

Answered by Georgia Gould

The department has recently announced the extension of the holiday activities and food programme (HAF) with over £600 million for the next three financial years. This means nutritious meals and exciting activities for more than half a million children across the country every year, helping them to thrive during the school holidays.

The department will also be publishing a new Enrichment Framework by the end of this year, supporting schools to create a broad and accessible enrichment offer for all pupils.

The department recognises the impact the cost of living may have on children’s participation in a variety of enrichment activities and is working to ensure that all children have access to beneficial opportunities of this sort. We continue to collect data on pupil participation in enrichment through our omnibus surveys.

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