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Practical help for starting and running a children’s activity club. Find your next step, from your first session to keeping families coming back.

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Children’s club compliance

Make sense of safeguarding, DBS, data protection and the requirements that may apply to your club.

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13 guides & topic hubs

Compliance

1 guide
Topic hub

Children’s club compliance

A practical compliance hub for children’s activity providers: explore Ofsted, safeguarding, DBS, GDPR, safety, emergencies, insurance and policies, with official sources.

Updated 6 October 2026Explore hub

Starting a Club

2 guides
Practical guide

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 5 October 2026Read guide
Practical guide

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 2026Read guide

Running a Club

4 guides
Practical guide

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 2026Read guide
Practical guide

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 2026Read guide
Practical guide

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 2026Read guide
Practical guide

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 2026Read guide

Safeguarding

1 guide
Practical guide

Safeguarding basics for children’s activity clubs

Safeguarding guidance for children’s clubs in England: trained leads, safer recruitment, responding to concerns, secure records and practical procedures, with official sources.

Updated 6 October 2026Read guide

GDPR & Data Protection

1 guide
Practical guide

UK GDPR for kids’ clubs: children’s data and practical steps

Practical UK GDPR guidance for children’s activity clubs: lawful bases, health information, photography, access controls, retention and children’s rights, with ICO sources.

Updated 6 October 2026Read guide

DBS

1 guide
Practical guide

DBS checks for children’s clubs: roles and the 2026 changes

Understand role-based DBS eligibility for children’s coaches, staff and volunteers, including the 1 September 2026 supervision change and current official guidance.

Updated 6 October 2026Read guide

Ofsted

1 guide
Practical guide

Ofsted and holiday camps: registration and exemptions

Understand Ofsted registration for holiday camps and activity clubs in England: age ranges, activity-based exemptions, short sessions and temporary provision, with official guidance.

Updated 6 October 2026Read guide

Health & Safety

1 guide
Practical guide

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 2026Read guide

Industry Guides

1 guide
Practical guide

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 2026Read guide