As parents, many of you may be struggling or finding yourselves pulled in different directions. Young Minds have created a useful 'Supporting Parents Helpfinder'. By answering six questions, parents can find out how to support their child's mental health.

We are proud to be a Simon Says Champion School for bereavement. This means we have worked closely with the bereavement charity Simon Says to create a bereavement awareness culture. This included staff training, the development of a bereavement toolkit and access to expert guidance and community support to help us address the needs of bereaved children and their families.

Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme

The HAF programme is a really important part of our support to low-income families over the summer break and is a childcare lifeline for many. This summer, over 200 HAF schemes will be running across Hampshire, offering a wide range of fun activities alongside nutritious meals for children and young people.

Bookings opened on 22 June, and we are keen to ensure that all eligible families are aware of and able to access these opportunities.

For summer 2026, there is a new central booking system, making it much easier for families to find and book activities. The system includes built-in eligibility checking, so parents and carers no longer need to use previously issued HAF codes. New schemes are also being added regularly in the run-up to the holidays.

Families in our area can visit a direct booking site (copied below) to:

• Find local holiday clubs
• Book places
• Join waiting lists where sessions are full

Funded by the Department for Education, the HAF programme enables local authorities to provide free healthy food and enriching activities during school holidays for children who receive benefit-related FSM.

Further information is available via the FAQs:
Hampshire Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) frequently asked questions | Health and social care | Hampshire County Council

Families in the New Forest can visit the New Forest HAF Booking Site to find local schemes, book places or add their names to the waiting list.

Daily wellbeing activities to do with your children.

Breathing Buddies

Ask your child to lie down on the floor and put a stuffed animal on their stomach. Ask them to breathe in silence for one minute and notice how their Breathing Buddy moves up and down, and any other sensations they notice. Ask them to imagine that any thoughts that come into their head turn into bubbles and float away. Having a Breathing Buddy there makes the meditation more friendly and shows the children that a playful activity doesn’t have to be noisy.