This article provides information about some of the issues that you need to consider if you are setting up a holiday club or playscheme from scratch. If you are already running an out of school club and just want to extend your existing provision to cover the school holidays, see Adding a holiday club to your existing provision.
Ofsted registration
If you are not already running an Ofsted-registered childcare setting, you may need to register your holiday club or playscheme with Ofsted. Your holiday club may be exempt from registration if it operates for under 14 days a year or is otherwise exempt by way of the type of provision offered (Exemption 11) or for children who are aged 8 and above only.
For more information about whether your holiday club needs to register with Ofsted, see the section on registration exemptions on the GOV.UK website. (This used to be in the handy Registration not required guide (Annex A of the Early Years and Childcare Registration Handbook) but has now been merged with other guidance online.)
If your holiday club does not fall within any of the exemptions listed above, you will need to register with Ofsted before you can open.
If your holiday club is run directly by the school (ie the club staff are paid by the school) and at least one pupil of the school attends the club, you cannot register the club separately with Ofsted: the club will come under the school's existing Ofsted registration. Note that the club will still need to meet the requirements of the Early Years Register or Childcare Register as appropriate, just as if it were registered separately.
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