The UK Kids Clubs Market in 2026
The UK children's activity market is valued at over £14 billion and continues to grow. Working parents need reliable, engaging activities for their children outside school hours and during holidays. Meanwhile, parents increasingly value enrichment activities that go beyond basic childcare: coding clubs, sports coaching, drama, art, STEM, music, martial arts, forest schools, and more.
The government's expansion of funded childcare hours (30 hours for working parents of 3 and 4 year olds, extending to younger children) has increased demand for wraparound care and out-of-school activities. But there is still a significant gap between what parents want and what is available, especially in areas outside major cities.
Kids clubs have excellent business fundamentals: recurring revenue (children attend weekly, term after term), low customer churn (once a child loves an activity, parents keep rebooking), and scalable formats (one coach or instructor can lead 10 to 25 children per session).
Monthly subscriptions create predictable income
Instead of taking one-off bookings each week, offer monthly or termly subscriptions. A weekly football club charging £8/session becomes £32/month. With 20 children per session and 3 sessions per week across different venues, that is 60 subscribers at £32/month = £1,920/month = £23,040/year from a single activity. Add a second activity or holiday camps and the numbers grow quickly.
Business Planning
Choosing Your Activity Type
The most successful kids clubs focus on a specific activity or theme:
- Sports: Football, rugby, gymnastics, martial arts, multi-sports, dance
- Creative arts: Drama, art, music, craft, photography
- STEM: Coding, robotics, science experiments, engineering challenges
- Outdoor and adventure: Forest school, bushcraft, nature clubs
- General enrichment: After-school clubs, breakfast clubs, holiday camps
- Specialist: Language clubs, cooking classes, mindfulness for children
Consider what skills you have, what is in demand locally, and what competition already exists. Research what local schools offer (and more importantly, what they do not) so you can fill gaps.
Age Groups
Most kids clubs serve one or two key age bands. Mixing ages too widely creates planning difficulties and safeguarding complexity:
- Pre-school (3 to 4): Requires Ofsted registration if over 2 hours, higher staff ratios, simpler activities
- Reception to Year 2 (4 to 7): The sweet spot for many activity clubs
- Year 3 to Year 6 (7 to 11): Most popular age range, children are more independent
- Year 7+ (11+): Teenagers are harder to attract but coding, sports, and drama clubs work well
Pricing Strategy
Lead with monthly or termly subscriptions:
- Weekly club (1-hour session): £25 to £45/month (4 sessions)
- Weekly club (1.5 to 2 hour session): £35 to £60/month
- Holiday camp (full day): £25 to £45/day
- Holiday camp (half day): £15 to £25/half day
- Sibling discounts: 10 to 20% off for second child
Do the maths on subscriptions
1 weekly class with 18 children at £36/month = £648/month. Venue hire of £80/month (£20/session x 4) leaves £568 profit from a single class. Run 4 classes per week across different venues and age groups: £2,272/month profit = £27,264/year. Add holiday camps (5 weeks at 20 children at £35/day x 5 days = £17,500/year) and you reach £44,764/year before any additional activities.
Business Plan Basics
- Activity type, target age range, and session format
- Venue(s) you will use and costs per session
- Pricing: monthly subscriptions and drop-in rates
- Maximum capacity per session, number of sessions per week
- Staffing: you alone to start, or assistants from session one?
- Revenue target and break-even calculation
- Marketing plan: how will you fill your first classes?
Legal Requirements & Business Setup
UK-focused, but Bizzly works worldwide
The legal and tax guidance in this section is based on UK regulations. If you are starting your business outside the UK, check your local requirements for business registration, insurance, tax obligations, and any industry-specific licences. The business planning, marketing, and operational advice throughout this guide applies everywhere.
Registering Your Business
Register as a sole trader with HMRC (free, 5 minutes online). Many kids club owners choose a limited company (£50 at Companies House) early because it can provide additional liability protection and looks more professional to schools and parents.
Ofsted Registration
This is the most important regulatory consideration for kids clubs:
- Compulsory registration: Required if you care for children under 8 for more than 2 hours in any one day. Applies to after-school clubs, breakfast clubs, and holiday camps.
- Voluntary registration: Available for clubs caring for children aged 8+ or shorter sessions. Shows parents you meet Ofsted standards.
- Exempt activities: Short sessions under 2 hours, activities where parents remain on premises, sports coaching (in some cases), and clubs for over-8s only.
Ofsted registration costs £220, involves a premises inspection, and requires you to meet the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework standards. The process takes 6 to 12 weeks.
DBS Checks and Safeguarding
- Enhanced DBS: Required for every person working with children in a regulated activity. Costs £38 (or £18 for volunteers). Join the Update Service (£13/year) so you can reuse your DBS.
- Safeguarding policy: Written policy covering child protection procedures, reporting to LADO, physical contact guidelines, and photography consent.
- Safeguarding training: Level 2 minimum for all staff. Designated safeguarding lead should hold Level 3.
- Paediatric first aid: At least one first-aider on site at all times. 12-hour paediatric course for Ofsted-registered settings.
Insurance
- Public liability insurance: Non-negotiable. £5 million minimum cover. From £100/year.
- Employers liability: Legal requirement if you employ anyone (including regular assistants). From £50/year.
- Professional indemnity: Covers claims related to your instruction or advice. From £40/year.
Morton Michel and Hiscox are popular with kids activity providers.
Other Legal Requirements
- Parental consent forms for every child (medical info, emergency contacts, photo consent, allergy and dietary info)
- Risk assessments for each venue and activity
- Fire safety and evacuation procedures
- GDPR compliance: secure storage of children's data, privacy policy for parents
- Adequate toilet and handwashing facilities
Finances & Accounting
Startup Costs
| Item | Estimated Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Venue hire (per term) | £500 to £3,000 | Church halls, community centres, school halls. £15 to £40/hour. Negotiate a recurring weekly hire for better rates. Cost depends on how many sessions per week. |
| DBS checks | £18 to £38 per person | Enhanced DBS (£38) is required for anyone working with children in a regulated activity. Update Service membership (£13/year) lets you reuse it. |
| First aid qualification | £60 to £150 | Paediatric first aid (12 hours) is required for Ofsted-registered childcare. Also covers holiday clubs and after-school settings. |
| Insurance | £150 to £400/year | Public liability (essential), employers liability (if you hire staff), and professional indemnity. Providers like Morton Michel and Hiscox specialise in childcare settings. |
| Equipment and supplies | £200 to £2,000 | Varies hugely by activity type. Sports equipment, art supplies, musical instruments, STEM kits, safety mats, storage boxes. |
| Safeguarding training | £20 to £50 | Level 2 Safeguarding Children course. Required for any adult working with children. Can be completed online in a few hours. |
| Website and booking system | £0 to £29/month | From free (Google Site + manual bookings) to all-in-one platforms with online booking and recurring payments. |
| Marketing materials | £50 to £300 | Flyers for school gate distribution, banners, branded t-shirts for staff. |
| Accounting software | £0 to £15/month | Wave (free) or Xero (from £15/month). Track income per class, expenses per venue. |
| Ofsted registration (if applicable) | £220 | Required if providing childcare for children under 8 for more than 2 hours in any one day. Not required for all kids clubs. |
| Total Estimated Startup Cost | £1,218 to £6,190 + ongoing venue and staff costs |
Starting lean
You can launch a basic kids activity club for under £500: DBS check (£38), first aid course (£60), safeguarding training (£20), insurance (£150), and basic equipment (£200). Use a community hall at £15/hour and a free Google Site for bookings. Scale up your equipment and marketing as income grows.
Revenue Streams
- Term-time weekly classes: Your bread-and-butter recurring income
- Holiday camps: Higher day rates, longer sessions, significant revenue boost
- Birthday parties: Premium pricing (£150 to £350 per party), weekend bookings
- School contracts: Deliver activities within schools during or after school hours
- Private group bookings: Corporate family days, community events
Accounting
- Open a free business bank account (Starling, Tide, or Mettle)
- Use Xero for invoicing and tracking. Many small service businesses use Xero for managing their finances. Wave is a free alternative.
- Track income per class and per venue so you know which sessions are profitable
- Set aside 25 to 30% of income for tax
- File Self Assessment by 31 January each year
Tax
Kids club income is standard-rated for VAT. If turnover exceeds £90,000, you must register. Allowable expenses: venue hire, equipment, insurance, DBS checks, training, marketing, travel between venues, staff wages, and software.
Tools & Software to Run Your Kids Club
A kids club business needs five core capabilities: online booking (so parents can register and book classes), recurring billing (to collect monthly or termly subscriptions automatically), client records (child details, medical info, emergency contacts, attendance), automated reminders (session reminders and payment chasing), and a public-facing presence (a website or booking page where parents can see your schedule and sign up).
All-in-One Platforms
- Bizzly provides a website, online booking with class capacity management, subscription billing, and parent records from one dashboard. Supports fixed-slot classes where parents book specific time slots with limited places. Live in under 15 minutes.
- ClassForKids is designed specifically for children's activity providers. Class management, online booking, payments, and waiting lists. Popular with sports and arts clubs.
- Sawyer focuses on kids activity businesses. Scheduling, registration, payments, and attendance tracking.
- Bookwhen is a flexible class booking system that works well for kids clubs, with capacity limits, waiting lists, and online payments.
Building Your Own Stack
- Website: Wix or Squarespace for a professional site with class schedule and booking links
- Payments: GoCardless for Direct Debit subscriptions (1% + 20p); Stripe for card payments (1.5% + 20p)
- Booking: Bookwhen or Jumbula for class registration with capacity limits
- Communication: WhatsApp groups for quick parent updates; Mailchimp for newsletters
- Invoicing: Xero or Wave (free)
- Attendance: Google Sheets or a simple register app
Getting set up is faster than you think
Kids club management software can have you live with a booking page, class schedule, and subscription billing in a single afternoon. The sooner parents can book online, the fewer admin hours you spend chasing payments and managing spreadsheets.
For a detailed comparison of platform pricing and features, see our best software for service businesses guide.
Marketing & Getting Your First Customers
School Gate Marketing
Your customers (parents) are concentrated at school gates twice a day. This is your most effective marketing channel:
- Design professional A5 flyers and hand them out at school pick-up
- Ask schools if you can put flyers in book bags or on notice boards
- Offer a free taster session to get children excited and parents through the door
- Partner with schools to deliver clubs on their premises (schools love adding to their enrichment offer)
Facebook and Local Social Media
Facebook is where parents find local kids activities:
- Create a Facebook page with your class schedule, prices, and booking link
- Post in local parenting Facebook groups (search “[your town] mums” or “[your town] parents”)
- Share photos and videos of sessions (with photo consent from parents)
- Encourage parents to share your posts and leave reviews
- Run Facebook ads targeting parents within 5 miles of your venue (from £5/day)
Google Business Profile
Set up a free Google Business Profile so your club appears in “kids clubs near me” searches. Add photos, your class schedule, and encourage parents to leave Google reviews.
Referral Programme
Word of mouth is the single most powerful channel for kids clubs. Incentivise it: offer a free session or £10 credit for every new family referred. Happy parents are your best salespeople.
Local Partnerships
- Schools: offer to run clubs on their premises or provide enrichment days
- Nurseries and childminders: leave flyers and offer referral incentives
- Local businesses: soft play centres, toy shops, children's clothing shops
- Community events: fairs, fetes, family days at local parks
Online Directories
List your club on Hoop, Kiddyup, ClassForKids directory, ActiveActivities, and your local council's family information service. These sites rank well for “kids activities near me” and drive bookings.
Operations & Scaling
Running Great Sessions
- Plan each session with a structured format: warm-up, main activity, cool-down/wrap-up
- Arrive 15 minutes early to set up the venue and equipment
- Greet each child and parent by name
- Take attendance at the start of every session
- Have a plan B activity ready in case your main plan does not work
- End with a consistent routine so children know what to expect
- Briefly update parents on what children did during pick-up
Managing Bookings and Payments
Chasing parents for cash payments is one of the biggest frustrations for kids club owners. Move to online booking and automatic monthly Direct Debit or card payments as soon as possible. This saves hours of admin per week and ensures you get paid on time. Club admin software for kids classes automates registration, payment collection, waiting lists, and parent communication.
Scaling Your Kids Club
- More sessions: Add age groups, additional days, or new venues. Each new class with 15+ children adds another revenue stream.
- Holiday camps: Full-day and half-day camps during school holidays. Higher rates and longer sessions. Hugely popular with working parents.
- Birthday parties: Weekend party packages at £200 to £350. Minimal setup, high margins, and every party is marketing to 15+ new families.
- Hiring coaches or instructors: Once you have enough demand, hire part-time activity leaders to run additional sessions. Pay £10 to £15/hour and charge £7 to £10/child.
- School contracts: Delivering activities within schools during curriculum time, after school, or during enrichment days. Large, reliable contracts.
- Franchising: Some kids club businesses (e.g. specific activity formats) can be franchised to other areas once you have a proven model.
Growth Milestones
- Month 1 to 3: 1 to 2 classes per week, 10 to 25 children total, £400 to £900/month
- Month 3 to 6: 3 to 5 classes per week, 40 to 80 children, £1,500 to £3,000/month
- Month 6 to 12: 5 to 10 classes per week + holiday camps, 80 to 150 children, £3,000 to £6,000/month
- Year 2: Multiple venues, hired instructors, birthday parties, £50,000 to £80,000/year
- Year 3+: School contracts, franchising potential, £80,000 to £150,000+/year
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to register with Ofsted to run a kids club?
It depends on the type of club and the age of children. If you provide care for children under 8 for more than 2 hours in any single day, you must register with Ofsted on either the Early Years Register (under 5s) or the Childcare Register (5 to 7). Short activity sessions (under 2 hours), clubs for children aged 8+, and clubs where parents stay on site are generally exempt. If in doubt, contact Ofsted directly or check their guidance on voluntary and compulsory registration.
What qualifications do I need to run a kids club?
There is no single mandatory qualification, but you will need: an enhanced DBS check, a paediatric first aid certificate, Level 2 safeguarding training, and (if Ofsted-registered) at least one member of staff with a Level 3 childcare qualification. Specific activity qualifications may also be relevant: coaching badges for sports clubs, teaching qualifications for educational clubs, or arts-specific training.
How much can I charge for a kids club?
Pricing varies by location, activity type, and session length. Typical rates: £5 to £12 per child per session (1 to 2 hours) for after-school clubs. Holiday camps charge £20 to £40 per child per day. Monthly subscriptions (e.g. 4 weekly sessions) range from £30 to £60/month depending on the activity and area. Premium activities like coding, drama, or martial arts can command higher rates.
How many children can I have in one session?
This depends on the activity, the age of children, your venue capacity, and your staff-to-child ratio. Ofsted-registered settings have specific ratio requirements: 1:4 for under-2s, 1:8 for 3 to 7-year-olds, 1:8 or higher for 8+. Even for non-Ofsted settings, safe ratios are essential. Most standalone kids clubs run with 10 to 25 children per session with 2 to 3 staff members.
What insurance do I need for a kids club?
Public liability insurance is essential (at least £5 million cover). If you employ staff, employers liability insurance is a legal requirement. Professional indemnity covers claims about your teaching or coaching. Consider also personal accident cover for yourself. Morton Michel, Hiscox, and Markel specialise in insurance for childcare and activity providers. Expect to pay £150 to £400/year depending on the number of children and activities covered.
Should I run term-time only or include holiday clubs?
Start with term-time weekly sessions to build a regular client base and consistent income. Holiday clubs (full-day or half-day camps during school holidays) are a significant additional revenue stream once you are established. Many parents actively seek holiday childcare, and you can charge higher day rates. Running both gives you year-round income.
How do I find a venue for my kids club?
Church halls, community centres, school halls, and leisure centres are the most common options. Contact local councils for community space listings. Schools may rent out halls during after-school hours and holidays. Look for: adequate space for your activity, toilet facilities, kitchen access for refreshments, safe outdoor space (desirable), storage for equipment, and accessible location for parents. Negotiate a recurring weekly booking for better rates.
What is the best kids club management software?
Kids club management software should handle online booking, class registration, recurring billing, attendance tracking, and parent communication. All-in-one platforms like Bizzly, ClassForKids, and Sawyer handle these from one dashboard. Alternatively, combine a booking tool (Bookwhen), payment collection (GoCardless), and communication (WhatsApp groups). The right choice depends on how many sessions you run and how many children you manage.
How do I handle safeguarding for a kids club?
Every kids club needs a written safeguarding policy. All staff must have enhanced DBS checks and up-to-date safeguarding training (Level 2 minimum). Designate a safeguarding lead. Keep records of all policies, DBS certificates, and training. Have clear procedures for reporting concerns to your Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO). Display your safeguarding policy at your venue and share it with parents.
Can I run a kids club from home?
Yes, if you have suitable space and your home insurance allows it. You will need to comply with the same DBS, safeguarding, and insurance requirements. If providing care for children under 8 for more than 2 hours, you must register with Ofsted and your home will be inspected. Check your council for planning permission if running a regular business from a residential property. Most kids clubs prefer external venues for space and liability reasons.
Next Steps: Your Kids Club Business Checklist
Here is everything covered in this guide, distilled into an action plan:
- Choose your activity type, target age range, and session format
- Research local demand and competition (what are other clubs offering, and what is missing?)
- Find a suitable venue and negotiate a recurring booking
- Register as a sole trader or limited company
- Get an enhanced DBS check (and join the Update Service)
- Complete paediatric first aid training and Level 2 safeguarding
- Get public liability and employers liability insurance
- Determine whether you need Ofsted registration
- Write safeguarding, health and safety, and data protection policies
- Create parental consent and registration forms
- Set up a website with your class schedule and online booking
- Set your pricing: monthly subscriptions plus drop-in options
- Open a free business bank account (Starling, Tide, or Mettle)
- Set up Xero or Wave for accounting
- Design flyers and start school gate marketing
- Create a Facebook page and post in local parent groups
- Run a free taster session to attract your first families
- Collect testimonials and reviews from parents
- Plan holiday camps once your regular classes are established
Running a kids club is one of the most rewarding businesses you can start. You make a genuine difference to children's lives while building a profitable, scalable business. If you are looking for an all-in-one platform to manage your kids club business, take a look at Bizzly.