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Chapter 1
Does a holiday club need Ofsted registration?
Check whether your holiday club needs Ofsted registration, which exemptions might apply and what to record before taking bookings.
The charity organiser’s guide 2026 edition
Running a holiday club: a charity organiser’s guide 2026
From your first planning meeting to the last child collected. Practical guidance, clear sources and a chapter for each important decision.
Published
Last updated
Scope: England · School-age holiday clubs and daytime activities · Check the rules for your club
A guide for holiday clubs in England
This guide is for charities and community organisers running school-age holiday clubs, day camps and children’s daytime activities in England. It helps you find the rules for your club and ask the right questions. It is not a complete operating manual for nurseries, residential camps, specialist adventure activities or provision elsewhere in the UK.
Ofsted registration depends on the actual care and any applicable exemption. Registered childcare, unregistered out-of-school activities and HAF-funded clubs can have different obligations. Check which rules apply to your club before using a checklist or staffing ratio. [1][2][3]
Start with the children you will care for and the activities you will offer. Check whether you need to register, plan enough suitable staff and agree how you will meet each child’s needs. Do this before opening bookings.
11 chapters · Three parts
Guide contents
Start at the beginning or find the decision you are working through.
Plan your club
Check registration and funding, then plan staffing and safety for your club.
Chapter 2
How to run a HAF holiday club in England
Plan a HAF-funded holiday club with your council, check which children qualify and organise food, activities, bookings and attendance.
Chapter 3
Adult-to-child ratios for holiday clubs, day camps and trips
Find out how many adults your holiday club needs, which rules apply and how to plan cover for breaks, trips and emergencies.
Chapter 4
Holiday club risk assessments: a practical planning guide
Spot risks at your holiday club, plan practical safety measures and give each task to a named person.
Build a suitable team
Recruit suitable people, put safeguarding into practice and support younger helpers.
Chapter 5
Safeguarding at holiday clubs and children’s events
Choose a safeguarding lead, set clear rules and make sure staff, volunteers, children and families know how to report a concern.
Chapter 6
Safer recruitment for holiday club staff and volunteers
Choose suitable holiday club staff and volunteers through clear roles, references, the right checks and support when they start.
Chapter 7
DofE volunteering at holiday clubs: supporting young helpers
Plan suitable tasks, DofE approval, supervision and checks for teenage volunteers at your holiday club.
Care for children each day
Prepare for individual needs, clear permissions, emergencies and records.
Chapter 8
Medical, allergy and SEND information for holiday clubs
Ask families about medical, allergy and support needs. Plan care, food and medicines, and keep children’s information safe.
Chapter 9
Holiday club parental consent forms and photo permissions
Prepare clear parental permissions for activities, medicines, collection and optional photos at your holiday club.
Chapter 10
First aid at holiday clubs: requirements and emergency planning
Check the first-aid rules for your club and plan trained cover, equipment and emergency help throughout the day.
Chapter 11
Holiday club accident records and incident reporting
Record accidents, tell parents and check whether an incident must also be reported to Ofsted, safeguarding services or HSE.
Work through the decisions in order
Part one covers registration, HAF, staffing and risk assessment. Part two covers safeguarding, recruitment and young volunteers. Part three covers children’s information, consent, first aid and incident reporting. Each chapter links to the relevant official requirements and identifies recommendations separately.
Our suggested planning sequence is to settle your registration position, agree the venue, activities and opening hours, build the team and emergency arrangements, then collect the information needed for each child’s participation. Use the chapters to plan for your own club and confirm uncertain registration questions with Ofsted or your council.
Use childcare prices as context for your budget
Coram’s 2026 survey collected information from 199 local authorities in Great Britain during April–June. It covers registered holiday childcare. Those clubs may open for longer hours or offer different support from your charity’s club. [4]
| Area | Weekly price |
|---|---|
| Great Britain | £190.77 |
| England | £189.71 |
| Scotland | £179.95 |
| Wales | £223.59 |
| North West England | £160.14 |
| South East England | £226.55 |
The two English regions shown are the lowest and highest regional averages reported, not a complete regional price list. The averages come from councils. Use them as background, not as a recommended price for your own club.
Our worked example: a club charging £12 per child per session would cost a family booking two children for five sessions £120 (2 × 5 × £12). If your charity paid £3 towards each child’s session, the family would save £30 and pay £90. Your charity would need to find the extra £30. This is an invented example to show the calculation, not a survey finding or a promise of HAF funding.
Use the event budget template to check costs, confirmed funding and paid places. Show families the full booking cost, what it includes and cancellation terms. When comparing prices, look at clubs with similar hours and support.
How we check this guide
We check factual claims against government, regulator and relevant specialist guidance. Small numbered links point to the sources at the end of each page. We make clear when advice is a legal duty, a registration rule, a funding condition or a recommendation. Suggestions from us are labelled as such.
A fact-check date records our completed editorial check against the linked sources. It is separate from the content update date and is not an independent legal or clinical review. We plan a review each month. A green tick means a check was completed, not just scheduled. If a check is unfinished, or the content or its recorded sources change without a review, the page is marked as awaiting review.
Guidance can change between reviews. Use the official source for the full conditions and seek setting-specific advice from the relevant regulator, council or qualified professional where necessary. If you spot a possible error, contact us with the chapter and source so we can investigate it.
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.
- Ofsted. Registration exemptions↩Updated 1 November 2024.Registration duties; activity-based and temporary provision exemptions.
- Department for Education. Out-of-school settings: safeguarding guidance for providers↩Publication updated 9 February 2026; PDF history dated 2 February 2026.Sections 2–5; parental consent and attendance registers, printed page 38. Read the document (PDF).
- Department for Education. Holiday activities and food programme: 2026 to 2027 financial year↩2026–27 guidance, including September 2026 eligibility changes.Eligibility, core offer, standards, booking systems and reporting.
- Coram Family and Childcare. Holiday Childcare Survey 2026↩2026 survey; April–June 2026 fieldwork.Table 1, executive summary regional figures and methodology; 199 local authorities in Great Britain.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, where applicable. Specialist sources are attributed to their respective publishers.