Guides

Useful, whether or not you use us.

Practical writing for people who run children's activity clubs. Where a guide states a fact about another company or a rule, it cites its source, the same standard as our comparison pages.

Starting a kids' activity club: the practical checklist What you actually need before your first session: insurance, venue, DBS checks, a price for the term, a way to take money and a register you can run from a phone. Updated 20 August 2026 Waiting lists that actually fill your classes How to run a kids' club waiting list that is fair, fast and converts into full classes: offer order, expiry windows, siblings and when a list is telling you to open a second class. Updated 20 August 2026 Choosing class management software for a kids' club A working method for comparing kids' club booking platforms: the four questions that decide it, what ClassForKids, Pebble, Bookwhen and Gymcatch each charge, and when a spreadsheet is honestly fine. Updated 20 August 2026 Safeguarding basics for a small kids' club The safeguarding floor for a children's activity club in England: DBS checks, a named lead, a one-page policy, registers with medical details, safe collection and what to do when a child tells you something. Updated 20 August 2026 GDPR for kids' clubs, without the panic What UK data protection actually asks of a children's activity club: a lawful basis, straight answers to parents, care with medical data, retention you can defend and photo consent that is really consent. Updated 20 August 2026 What kids' club booking platforms really charge The three fee models in children's activity software, what ClassForKids, Pebble, Bookwhen and Gymcatch publish, the card fee every club pays regardless, and the arithmetic for your own numbers. Every figure sourced. Updated 20 August 2026 Ofsted and holiday camps: when a club must register When an out-of-school or holiday setting in England must register with Ofsted, the activity-based and short-hours exemptions most sports and arts clubs rely on, and the 14-day rule for holiday provision. Sourced from gov.uk. Updated 20 August 2026 Do you need a licence to run a kids' club in the UK? There is no single licence for running a children's club in the UK, but there are seven things the law or your venue will ask for: Ofsted or its devolved equivalent, DBS checks, insurance, the ICO fee, food registration, first aid and a music licence. What applies to whom, sourced from gov.uk. Updated 4 September 2026 Health and safety for children's clubs: risk assessments, accidents and the law in the UK Health and safety for children's clubs in the UK, in plain English: who the law applies to, how to write a risk assessment that fits on two pages, first aid, accident books and RIDDOR, medical notes, venues, weather and ratios. A working map for kids' clubs and holiday clubs, not legal advice. Updated 5 September 2026 How to retain kids' club members: keeping families term after term How to retain kids' club members in the UK: where families actually drop off (end of term, September, moving up, price rises), how to measure term-to-term retention, and the re-enrolment, payment plan, progression and communication habits that keep children coming back to your classes. Updated 5 September 2026 How to run a swim school in the UK: stages, ratios, pool hire and the rules How to set up and run a swim school in the UK: the Swim England and STA stage frameworks, the recommended teacher-to-swimmer ratios, who provides lifeguard cover, hiring pool time, qualifications, insurance, and how to schedule lessons and move swimmers up without losing families. Updated 8 September 2026