-2.format-1500w.png)
The short answer
Ask families what their child needs to take part safely, then agree who will provide that support. Share the necessary details with the people caring for the child. A booking form does not replace an individual support plan, allergy action plan or clear medicine arrangements. SEND means special educational needs and disabilities.
Scope: England · School-age holiday clubs and daytime activities · Check the rules for your club
Ask about support, then have a conversation
The Department for Education (DfE) recommends asking parents about health and support needs relevant to the club. Our suggested questions cover communication, mobility, sensory preferences, dietary needs, allergies, medication and the support that works well. Offer a conversation or accessible alternative to a long online form. [1]
Record agreed adjustments and who will deliver them. Clubs on Ofsted’s compulsory register must follow its rules on disability, learning difficulties and duties under the Equality Act. This includes reasonable adjustments: changes to help disabled children take part. Do not make a diagnosis an automatic exclusion rule. [2]
A one-page profile can capture preferences and helpful support. It does not replace a medical care plan or staff training.
Make support arrangements clear before a family books
A study published in 2025 asked staff and parents about access to holiday clubs for children with SEND. It included interviews with 28 staff and 10 parents, plus workshops with 22 parents whose children were eligible but did not attend. Unclear publicity, poor communication about support, transport and staffing could all make it harder to attend. These were people’s experiences; the study did not measure how common the problems are across the country. [3]
Our suggested information before booking: describe the venue, group size, activities, noise and available support accurately. Offer a named contact to discuss adjustments; avoid a broad promise that the club can meet every need before making a plan with the family.
| Ask | Turn the answer into an arrangement |
|---|---|
| What helps your child feel comfortable in a new place? | Agree an arrival routine or visit, if it would help and you can arrange it. |
| How does your child communicate that they need help or a break? | Brief the relevant team on the child’s preferred communication. |
| Which activities or environments may need adapting? | Agree adjustments, responsible staff and any further advice needed. |
| What should we check with you before the first session? | Write down what still needs agreeing, who will arrange it and when to check back. |
Fictional example: Sam prefers to see the day’s activities before joining a group and may find a busy arrival area overwhelming. The family and organiser agree a visual schedule and a named adult to meet Sam. The one-page profile records these preferences; the staffing plan records who will provide the agreed support. Review it with the family. A profile does not replace a medical care plan where one is needed.
Turn allergy information into an action plan
If the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework applies, you must collect details of dietary requirements, allergies and special health needs before the child starts. Agree arrangements for a child with allergies with the parents and relevant health professionals. Make sure staff know the plan. The British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BSACI) provides allergy action plans for children. Obtain and follow the child’s appropriate current plan rather than inventing treatment instructions. [4][5]
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) says charities and organisations giving out free food may still need to register as a food business. Ask your council about your plans. Registered food businesses have allergen-information duties. For qualifying unregistered community events, FSA still recommends providing allergen information where possible. Food must be safe in either case. [6]
Our suggested food briefing identifies the child’s needs, responsible staff, ingredient information, cross-contamination controls and the response plan. Avoid promising an “allergen-free” environment unless you can be sure that promise is accurate.
Agree medicine arrangements before attendance
Where EYFS applies, providers need a medicines policy and systems for up-to-date information. Staff need training if giving the medicine requires medical or technical knowledge. Medicine must only be administered with written permission for that particular medicine; keep a record and inform parents on the same day, or as soon as reasonably practicable. Other registered provision must check its own requirements. [4][2]
Our suggested handover checks the child’s plan, named trained staff, medicine availability and storage instructions, emergency access and collection arrangements. Resolve missing instructions with the family and appropriate health professional before assigning care. If you suspect a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis), call 999 and follow the NHS emergency guidance and the child’s plan; this guide is not clinical training. [7]
Protect health information without hiding it from carers
Health information has extra protection under data protection law. Before collecting it, you need both a lawful reason to use it and an additional legal condition for handling health information. Some conditions have further requirements under UK law. A parent’s general agreement to attend the club does not automatically meet those rules. Record the conditions you rely on, collect only what you need and keep it secure. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) explains the legal tests in the source below. [8]
Our suggested access plan tells families why information is needed, identifies which staff need it during a session and avoids displaying diagnoses on public registers. Decide how long you need each record, taking account of legal requirements. Review it regularly and delete it when you no longer need it. [9]
Evidence behind this page
Sources and further reading
Fact-checked against these sources on . We check sources each month. This is our editorial review, not an independent legal or medical assessment.
The numbers in the text link to the sources below. Follow the original guidance for full details and later changes. How we check this guide.
- Department for Education. Out-of-school settings: safeguarding guidance for providers↩Publication updated 9 February 2026; PDF history dated 2 February 2026.Health and safety; parental consent. Read the document (PDF).
- Ofsted. Daycare providers on the compulsory Childcare Register: requirements↩1 ↩2Updated 1 September 2026.Organising your childcare; Medicine records.
- Hatch and colleagues, International Journal for Equity in Health. Inclusive, equitable and accessible holiday clubs for children with SEND↩Published 29 September 2025.Access and experience themes; interviews with 28 staff and 10 parents, workshops with 22 parents of non-attendees; DOI 10.1186/s12939-025-02607-y.
- Department for Education. EYFS statutory framework for group and school-based providers↩1 ↩2Effective 1 September 2026.Paragraphs 3.65–3.66; Paragraphs 3.61–3.62. Read the document (PDF).
- British Society for Allergy & Clinical Immunology. Allergy Action Plans↩Current specialist resources.Paediatric allergy action plans.
- Food Standards Agency. Providing food at community and charity events↩Publication updated 4 September 2026.Registration, allergen information and food safety.
- NHS. Anaphylaxis↩Page reviewed 21 June 2023; displayed review due date 21 June 2026.Emergency action and adrenaline auto-injectors.
- Information Commissioner’s Office. What are the rules on special category data?↩Current online guidance.UK GDPR Articles 6 and 9; Data Protection Act 2018 Schedule 1 where required.
- Information Commissioner’s Office. Storage limitation↩Current guidance; ICO flags review following the Data (Use and Access) Act.Retention periods, review and deletion.
NHS source date: the live anaphylaxis page still displays a June 2023 review and June 2026 review-due date. We checked its current content; our check does not mean the NHS has completed a newer clinical review. This chapter directs readers to emergency guidance and their child’s plan rather than providing a treatment protocol.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, where applicable. Specialist sources are attributed to their respective publishers.