Starting a kids' activity club: the practical checklist
Most people who start a children's club are coaches or teachers first and administrators reluctantly. This is the short list of what has to exist before your first session, in the order it usually needs to happen, without the padding.
Insurance and the venue
Public liability insurance comes first, because most venues will not confirm a booking without seeing your certificate. Specialist providers cover children's activity businesses and will ask what you teach, the age range and expected numbers.
For the venue itself, get the hire agreement in writing, even for a church hall. Check what time you can actually get in to set up, whether your session backs onto another hire, and where parents wait. The waiting area matters more than it sounds: it is where your word-of-mouth happens.
DBS checks and safeguarding basics
DBS eligibility and the appropriate level of check depend on the role and activity. Do not assume that every coach or volunteer automatically needs, or is eligible for, an enhanced check or a children's barred list check. Check the current official guidance linked below for each role before recruiting. Different criminal record checking systems apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Write down three things before you open: who is responsible for safeguarding (probably you), what you would do if a child told you something worrying, and how children are handed back to parents at the end. A one-page policy you actually follow beats a template nobody reads.
Price the term before you price the class
Work out what a term must earn to cover the hall, insurance, your time and equipment, then divide by realistic numbers, not full-capacity numbers. A class that needs fifteen children to break even will lose money in its first term, because first terms start half full.
Decide the sibling question now: whether a second child gets a discount, and how much. It is the first question a parent with two children asks, and making it up per-conversation reads as unfair the moment two parents compare notes.
Take money before the first session, not at it
Cash at the door does not survive contact with a busy Saturday. Whatever you use, parents should book and pay before they arrive, so your register is your guest list and a no-show is a free space you can offer to someone else.
Card payments that settle into your own account keep the bookkeeping simple: one place money arrives, one export at tax time. If a platform holds your takings and pays you out later, understand the payout schedule before you commit.
The register is the safety document
A register is not attendance box-ticking. It is the list of who is in the room, each child's medical notes and who to call, in your hand, when something happens. Paper works until it is left in a kit bag; a register on your phone is with you because your phone is.
Whatever you run it on, the test is one-handed speed: mark a child in, see an allergy, find an emergency contact, in seconds, poolside or pitch-side.
Sources and further reading
- Check someone's criminal record: DBS check types and eligibility GOV.UK / Disclosure and Barring Service Source checked
- UK government guidance on registering childcare, including exemptions from compulsory registration. GOV.UK
Sources can change. Check the linked guidance for the latest information. If this guide is wrong or out of date, tell us.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to register with Ofsted?
Often not: activity-based settings such as sports coaching, and care for children over eight, are commonly exempt, but the rules have real edges, especially for holiday camps and under-eights. Check the government guidance for your exact setup before assuming either way.
How many children do I need to start?
Fewer than you think. A first term that covers its costs with eight children and a waiting list of three is a better start than twenty children at a price that loses money.
Get your first term organised.
Set up your booking page and keep attendance alongside your class schedule.