How to Complete HAF DfE Reporting: A Step-by-Step Guide

DfE reporting is one of the most demanding aspects of managing a Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme. Local authorities must submit detailed data returns after each holiday period — the Q36 covering attendance and participation, and the Q38 covering enrichment activities and programme quality. This guide walks you through both returns step by step, covering what data is required, how to collect it, and how to avoid the most common pitfalls.

What you'll learn: Exactly what the Q36 and Q38 returns require, how to prepare your data, and how to complete each submission accurately.

Key challenges: The data quality issues that trip up most authorities and how to prevent them from the start.

Automation: How platforms like Plinth can transform DfE reporting from a multi-day ordeal into a straightforward process.

TL;DR — HAF DfE Reporting

All 153 local authorities must submit Q36 and Q38 data returns to the DfE after each HAF delivery period. The Q36 requires individual-level attendance data including demographics, FSM status, and session counts. The Q38 requires data on enrichment activities, provider types, and quality indicators. The biggest challenge is data quality — particularly around unique child identification, consistent demographic capture, and accurate attendance records. Authorities using integrated platforms like Plinth can generate these returns automatically from data captured during the programme, while those relying on spreadsheets typically spend 5–15 working days compiling returns manually.

Understanding the Reporting Cycle

HAF DfE reporting follows a predictable annual cycle aligned with the three delivery periods. Understanding this cycle helps you plan data collection from the start.

Easter return: Typically due 4–6 weeks after the Easter holidays end. Covers the minimum 4 days of Easter provision.

Summer return: Typically due 6–8 weeks after the summer holidays end. This is by far the largest return, covering the minimum 16 days of summer provision. Summer reporting is the most complex due to the volume of data.

Christmas return: Typically due 4–6 weeks after the Christmas holidays end. Covers the minimum 4 days of Christmas provision.

End-of-year summary: The DfE may also request an annual summary combining data from all three periods, including analysis of year-on-year trends and programme development.

The DfE communicates specific deadlines each year. Missing deadlines can trigger additional scrutiny and support requirements.

Step 1: Set Up Data Collection Before the Holidays

The most important step in DfE reporting happens before the holiday period begins. If you collect the right data from the start, reporting is straightforward. If you do not, it becomes an exercise in retrospective data recovery.

What Data You Need to Capture

For each child (at booking/registration):

• Full name and date of birth
• Unique identifier (ideally the UPN — Unique Pupil Number)
• Gender
• Ethnicity (using DfE standard categories)
• Disability status and any SEND information
• Home postcode
• School attended
• FSM eligibility status (benefits-related FSM, transitional protection, or 15% discretionary)
• Parent/carer contact details

For each session attended:

• Date and location of session
• Provider delivering the session
• Activity types offered (mapped to DfE categories)
• Whether a meal was provided
• Actual attendance (not just booking)

For each provider:

• Organisation name and type (voluntary sector, private, school, etc.)
• Activities offered (categorised by type)
• Number of places available
• Safeguarding and quality compliance status

Setting Up Your Systems

If using Plinth: The platform captures all required data fields during the booking and registration process. Demographic information is collected from families at the point of registration, eligibility is verified automatically, and attendance is recorded by providers in real time. DfE reporting fields are built into the system from the start.

If using spreadsheets: Create a master template with all required fields before the holiday period. Distribute standardised attendance register templates to all providers with clear instructions on what data to capture and how. Agree on data formats (date formats, ethnicity codes, etc.) in advance.

If using generic booking platforms: Map the platform's data fields to DfE requirements and identify gaps. You will likely need to supplement the booking system with additional data collection — for example, collecting demographic information via a separate registration form.

The time invested in setting up data collection properly is repaid many times over when reporting deadlines arrive.

Step 2: The Q36 Return — Attendance and Participation

The Q36 is the primary HAF data return, focused on who attended and how often. It requires both individual-level data and aggregated summaries.

Individual-Level Data

The Q36 requires a record for each unique child who attended at least one HAF session. For each child, you must report:

Identification: Name, date of birth, UPN (where available), and home postcode. The UPN is particularly important as it allows the DfE to cross-reference with other education datasets and avoid double-counting children who attend provision in multiple authority areas.

Demographics: Gender, ethnicity (using DfE standard codes), disability status, and age. These must use the DfE's standard categorisation — using non-standard categories will cause your return to be rejected or require rework.

Eligibility basis: Whether the child was eligible through benefits-related FSM, transitional protection, or the 15% discretionary allocation. This is critical for the DfE to assess whether funding is reaching its target cohort.

Attendance: The total number of sessions attended during the reporting period, broken down by week where possible. This is actual attendance, not bookings — the distinction is essential.

Aggregated Summary Data

In addition to individual records, the Q36 typically requires summary tables showing:

• Total unique children attending
• Attendance broken down by FSM-eligible vs 15% discretionary
• Demographic breakdowns (gender, ethnicity, age bands, disability)
• Geographic distribution across the local authority area
• Comparison with previous holiday periods (for summer and Christmas returns)

Common Q36 Pitfalls

Duplicate records: The same child appearing multiple times — often because they attended sessions with different providers who recorded them separately. Without a central system, deduplication requires manual matching on name, date of birth, and postcode, which is time-consuming and error-prone.

Missing demographics: Providers or booking systems that do not capture ethnicity, disability status, or other demographic fields consistently. The DfE requires near-complete demographic data, and gaps trigger queries.

Booking vs attendance confusion: Reporting booking numbers rather than actual attendance. The DfE specifically requires attendance data, and the discrepancy can be significant — nationally, no-show rates of 15–25% are common for HAF sessions.

Inconsistent eligibility recording: Children recorded as FSM-eligible without proper verification, or the eligibility basis (benefits-related vs transitional vs discretionary) not being captured. This undermines the accuracy of the most important dimension of the Q36.

Authorities using Plinth avoid most of these pitfalls because the platform captures all required data consistently, verifies eligibility automatically, and tracks actual attendance — not just bookings.

Step 3: The Q38 Return — Enrichment Activities

The Q38 return focuses on the nature and quality of HAF provision. It requires data about what activities were delivered, by whom, and whether they met DfE standards.

Activity Type Categorisation

The Q38 requires each session to be categorised by activity type. The DfE standard categories include:

• Sport and physical activity (e.g. football, swimming, dance, gymnastics)
• Creative arts (e.g. drama, music, visual arts, crafts)
• STEM activities (e.g. science experiments, coding, engineering challenges)
• Cooking and nutrition (e.g. cooking classes, food growing, nutritional education)
• Outdoor and nature (e.g. forest school, nature walks, outdoor adventure)
• Personal and social development (e.g. teamwork, leadership, wellbeing)
• Educational enrichment (e.g. reading, maths, educational visits)
• Other (with description)

Many HAF sessions include multiple activity types — for example, a session might include sport in the morning and cooking in the afternoon. The Q38 allows multiple categories per session.

Provider Data

The Q38 requires information about each provider delivering HAF, including:

Organisation type: Whether the provider is a voluntary/community sector organisation, a private company, a school, a local authority-run service, or another type.

Geographic coverage: Where the provider delivers, helping the DfE assess whether provision is spread across the local authority or concentrated in specific areas.

Places offered vs attended: The total number of places offered by each provider compared with actual attendance, helping identify where demand exceeds supply and vice versa.

Quality Indicators

The Q38 includes questions about whether provision meets DfE quality standards:

• Did each session include at least 60 minutes of physical activity?
• Was a healthy meal provided that meets School Food Standards?
• Was nutritional education included in the programme?
• Were enriching activities (not just childcare) provided?
• Were sessions accessible to children with SEND?

Common Q38 Pitfalls

Inconsistent categorisation: Different providers categorising similar activities differently, making the data unreliable. Providing clear guidance and a standardised categorisation framework before the holiday period helps.

Missing provider data: Providers failing to submit their activity data after the holidays, requiring chasing and delaying the return. A system where activity data is captured as part of session setup (rather than retrospectively) avoids this.

Quality evidence gaps: Not capturing evidence that quality standards were met during delivery. If a provider claims to have provided 60 minutes of physical activity per day but there is no corroborating evidence, the DfE may query this.

Step 4: Compiling and Validating Your Returns

Once you have collected the raw data, it must be compiled, validated, and formatted for submission.

Data Validation Checklist

Before submitting, check for:

• [ ] No duplicate child records (check by name + DOB + postcode)
• [ ] All required demographic fields populated
• [ ] Eligibility basis recorded for every child
• [ ] Attendance figures reflect actual attendance, not bookings
• [ ] Activity types use DfE standard categories
• [ ] Provider information is complete and accurate
• [ ] Summary totals match individual-level data
• [ ] Geographic distribution data is plausible
• [ ] Year-on-year comparison figures are accurate (for non-Easter returns)

Manual Compilation (Spreadsheet Approach)

For authorities without integrated systems, the typical process is:

1. Collect attendance registers from all providers (paper or digital)
2. Enter data into a master spreadsheet, standardising formats
3. Cross-reference with eligibility data to confirm FSM status
4. Deduplicate records (matching on name, DOB, postcode)
5. Apply DfE standard codes for demographics and activity types
6. Generate summary tables and cross-check totals
7. Format for submission in the DfE's required template

This process typically takes 5–15 working days depending on programme size and data quality. For the summer return, which covers the largest delivery period, it can take even longer.

Automated Compilation (Platform Approach)

For authorities using Plinth:

1. All data has been captured consistently throughout the programme
2. Eligibility has been verified at booking stage
3. Attendance has been recorded in real time by providers
4. Activity types were categorised when sessions were set up
5. Generate the Q36 and Q38 returns with one click
6. Review and validate the generated reports
7. Submit to the DfE

This process typically takes 1–2 working days, primarily for review and validation rather than data compilation.

The difference between manual and automated approaches is not just time — it is also accuracy. Manual compilation introduces transcription errors, inconsistent coding, and deduplication mistakes that automated systems avoid.

Step 5: Submission and Follow-Up

Submitting to the DfE

The DfE provides specific submission channels and templates for HAF returns. These may change year to year, so always check the latest guidance. Submissions are typically made through the DfE's data collection portal or via secure email to your DfE HAF contact.

Pre-submission review: Have a colleague review the return before submission. Fresh eyes often catch errors that the compiler has become blind to.

Keep records: Save a copy of exactly what was submitted, along with the date and method of submission. This is important for audit purposes and for resolving any queries the DfE may raise.

Responding to DfE Queries

The DfE may query your submissions if:

• Summary totals do not reconcile with individual-level data
• Demographic data has significant gaps
• Participation figures are significantly higher or lower than expected
• Activity categorisation appears inconsistent
• The proportion of FSM-eligible vs discretionary children is unusual

Respond to queries promptly and accurately. Having well-organised source data makes query resolution much faster — another advantage of using an integrated platform.

Frequently Asked Questions

When exactly are Q36 and Q38 returns due?

The DfE communicates specific deadlines each year, typically 4–8 weeks after each holiday period ends. Deadlines are communicated via the HAF coordinator network and direct correspondence. Summer returns have the longest deadline window because they cover the most data. It is good practice to begin compiling your return during the holiday period rather than waiting until it ends.

What happens if we submit data with errors?

The DfE has a validation process and will flag obvious errors (such as impossible dates, duplicate records, or incomplete demographic data). You will be asked to correct and resubmit. While occasional minor errors are understood, persistent data quality issues can trigger additional scrutiny and support requirements. Investing in data quality at the collection stage prevents most submission errors.

Can we amend returns after submission?

Yes, the DfE allows amendments to submitted returns, particularly if new data becomes available (for example, a provider submits late attendance data). However, significant amendments may trigger questions about data processes. It is always better to submit a complete, accurate return initially rather than relying on amendments.

How does the DfE use the data we submit?

The DfE uses Q36 and Q38 data for multiple purposes: monitoring programme reach and quality, informing funding decisions, producing national statistics on HAF delivery, identifying areas where additional support is needed, and reporting to Parliament on programme outcomes. Your data directly influences the future of HAF funding — accurate, comprehensive returns demonstrate programme value and support the case for continued investment.

What support is available for reporting?

The DfE provides guidance documents, template spreadsheets, and webinars to support local authorities with reporting. HAF coordinators can also access peer support through regional networks and the national HAF coordinator community. For authorities using Plinth, the platform generates DfE-ready reports automatically, and the Plinth team provides direct support for reporting queries.

Conclusion & Call to Action

DfE reporting does not need to be the most stressful part of HAF delivery. With the right data collection in place from the start and the right tools to compile and validate returns, Q36 and Q38 submissions become a straightforward process.

Plan ahead: The most important step is setting up data collection before the holiday period begins, ensuring all required fields are captured consistently.

Invest in quality: Time spent on data quality at the collection stage prevents errors that are expensive to fix at the reporting stage.

Consider automation: Platforms like Plinth transform DfE reporting from a multi-day manual exercise into a one-click process, freeing HAF coordinators to focus on programme quality and development.

Accurate DfE reporting demonstrates the value of your HAF programme and supports the case for continued funding — it is an investment in your programme's future.

Want to see how Plinth simplifies DfE reporting? Book a demo to see one-click Q36 and Q38 report generation in action.

Recommended Next Pages

• What Is the HAF Programme? – A comprehensive overview of HAF for local authorities.

• Best Booking Systems for HAF Programmes – How the right booking system feeds better data into DfE reporting.

• How to Track HAF Attendance – Digital attendance tracking that flows directly into DfE returns.

• FSM Eligibility Checking for HAF – Getting eligibility data right for accurate Q36 reporting.

• HAF Management Software vs Spreadsheets – Why integrated platforms produce better DfE returns than manual processes.

• How to Onboard HAF Providers – Ensuring providers are set up to capture the data you need for reporting.

Last updated: February 2026

For more information about HAF DfE reporting with Plinth, contact our team or schedule a demo.