HOW TO HIRE · CHILDCARE & FAMILY

How to hire an after-school club in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

After-school club rules differ by nation. Here is how to check registration, what to ask and how Tax-Free Childcare helps.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring an after-school club in five steps

  1. Ask who runs the clubThe school, or a separate provider.
  2. Check registrationOfsted URN in England; CIW, the Care Inspectorate or the Trust elsewhere.
  3. Ask about collection from classNo gap in care.
  4. Read the food and allergy policyAnd medicines.
  5. Know the late-pickup ruleAnd booking notice.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

Ofsted registration (England)

In England an after-school club looking after under-8s for more than two hours a day on non-domestic premises must register with Ofsted — before- and after-school care can register even for shorter sessions. Exempt: a school running care for its own pupils, clubs centred on one or two activities such as sport, arts or homework support, and open-access schemes; exempt clubs can join the voluntary Childcare Register.

Ask for the Ofsted URN and check it in Ofsted's 'check if childcare is registered' service; if they say they are exempt, ask which exemption. reports.ofsted.gov.uk →

CIW, Care Inspectorate or Trust registration

Wales: Care Inspectorate Wales registers out of school childcare as day care, under the 2010 Welsh children and families Measure. Scotland: day care of children on non-domestic premises for more than two hours a day is registered with the Care Inspectorate. Northern Ireland: the Health and Social Care Trust keeps a register of day care for under-12s on non-domestic premises.

Wales: CIW's directory. Scotland: the Care Inspectorate's find-care directory. Northern Ireland: the Trust's register. careinspectorate.scot →

Criminal record check — DBS, PVG or AccessNI

England and Wales: childcare can get the enhanced DBS check with barred lists, and Ofsted requires it of a registered after-school club. Scotland: PVG scheme membership. Northern Ireland: an enhanced AccessNI check with the children's barred list, through an Umbrella Body for the self-employed. A parent cannot apply on a carer's behalf. Ofsted requires the registered person to get one, and other staff may need one.

Ask to see the after-school club's certificate — or proof of PVG membership in Scotland — and read the issue date; a DBS certificate has no official expiry. gov.uk →

First aid and insurance

Ofsted requires at least one person at a registered after-school club to hold an appropriate first aid qualification, and public liability insurance once children are being cared for.

Ask who holds first aid on each session and see the insurance certificate.

VAT

Care for children after school is exempt from VAT when the club is registered with Ofsted, CIW, the Care Inspectorate or the Health and Social Care Trust, or run by a charity or a public body; an unregistered club is standard-rated. A small unregistered club or organiser with turnover under £90,000 is not VAT-registered and does not charge VAT, so either way no VAT line should appear.

Ask for the club's registration number and look it up with the regulator for your nation. gov.uk →

“Is the after-school club registered, and with whom?”

A good answer: An Ofsted URN in England, or the exemption it relies on; CIW, Care Inspectorate or Trust registration elsewhere.

“How do staff collect children from class?”

A good answer: Named staff, a register taken.

“What is the staff-to-child ratio?”

A good answer: A number the club follows.

“What food is provided?”

A good answer: Snack or tea, with allergies handled.

“What happens if I am late?”

A good answer: The late-collection policy and any charge.

“Can I use Tax-Free Childcare?”

A good answer: Yes, if registered and signed up.

“How far ahead must sessions be booked?”

A good answer: Booking and cancellation notice.

Booking by the hour

  • The session price, the hours it covers and the hourly charge for staying past the end
  • The minimum booking — a whole term, set days, or single sessions — and any refund for days missed
  • What the club provides — tea, snacks, activities — and what your child brings
  • Collection rules agreed before the first session: who may collect, allergies, medicines
  • Late-collection charges, the booking and cancellation notice, and how Tax-Free Childcare is accepted

Walk away if

  • No registration or exemption it can explain
  • No register taken at collection
  • No first aider on site
  • No allergy policy
  • No complaints process
  • Staff who will not say how they are checked
LOW
£7
TYPICAL
£8
HIGH
£12

What an after-school club costs: £7–£12 per session

After-school clubs charge per session, booked by the term or week. After-School Care price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

After-school clubs near you, with the badges that matter shown

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Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. BookingDays and forms.
  2. CollectionFrom class, register taken.
  3. SnackAnd drink.
  4. ActivitiesPlay, crafts, homework space.
  5. Pick-upSigned out to a named adult.

Non-domestic premises
Anywhere that is not a home.
URN
Ofsted reference.
Wraparound care
Care before and after school.
Ratio
Staff to children.
Voluntary Childcare Register
Ofsted's optional register.
Late-collection fee
Charge for picking up late.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep invoicesWith the URN — for Tax-Free Childcare.
Ask your childHow the club feels.
Review termlyDays and times.
Leave the reviewOnly a booked after-school club can be reviewed on Locufy, so your words carry weight. If the after-school club got something wrong, use the make-it-right step first.

MONEY BACK

Grants that may apply

Help with after-school club fees. Tax-Free Childcare needs the club to be registered and signed up; Northern Ireland adds its own subsidy on top.

HMRC · GRANTVerified 16 Oct 2026

Tax-Free Childcare

up to £500 every 3 months per child (£2,000 a year); up to £1,000 every 3 months (£4,000 a year) for a disabled childthe government adds £2 for every £8 paid into the childcare account

Who: working parents of children aged 11 or under, or 16 or under if disabled

  • usually working or about to start work
  • the provider must be approved childcare and signed up to the scheme
  • reconfirm eligibility every 3 months
  • in Northern Ireland nidirect adds: each parent expects to earn at least the minimum wage for 16 hours a week, neither earns £100,000 or more, and it cannot be combined with Universal Credit childcare or childcare vouchers
Official details on gov.uk →
NORTHERN IRELAND EXECUTIVE (NIDIRECT) · GRANTVerified 16 Oct 2026

Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme

15% off eligible childcare costsapplies on top of Tax-Free Childcare

Who: parents in Northern Ireland using Tax-Free Childcare

  • you must be claiming Tax-Free Childcare
  • Universal Credit claimants are not eligible
Official details on nidirect.gov.uk →

Schemes change. The amounts above were checked on the dates shown; the official page is the one that counts.

STEP 1Tell the after-school club in writingKeep it to the date, what happened and the remedy you want. The duty of reasonable care and skill in section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 binds any after-school club in business, and if the childcare missed it, section 54 entitles you to have it put right free or to pay less.
STEP 2Use Locufy's make-it-right stepRate a booked after-school club below four stars and you are asked whether to send it to them first; we follow it through. Then you review.
STEP 3Ofsted, the Care Inspectorate and the TrustsRegistered childcare must have a complaints process, so use the after-school club's first. If that does not settle it in England, complain to Ofsted about a registered childminder (or to the agency, if they registered through one); in Scotland the Care Inspectorate takes complaints about registered services; in Wales and Northern Ireland, contact CIW or the Trust that registered them. If a child is at risk, call the council or 101, and 999 in an emergency.
STEP 4Small claims, if money is still owedIf the after-school club will not refund or put it right, a small claim needs no solicitor: up to £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 under simple procedure in Scotland, and £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring an after-school club: questions people ask

In England, usually with Ofsted, unless the school runs it for its own pupils or another exemption applies. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland register clubs through CIW, the Care Inspectorate and the Trust.

Ask for the Ofsted URN in England and check it; elsewhere search CIW's or the Care Inspectorate's directory or ask the Trust.

Ofsted requires the registered person to get an enhanced DBS check with barred lists, and other staff may need one; Scotland uses PVG and Northern Ireland AccessNI.

£7 to £12 a session, typically around £8. Longer sessions and tea cost more. The after-school care price guide explains the range; put your town in the search above, then settle the session rate, the minimum booking and what the club does each day.

Yes, if the club is registered and signed up to the scheme.

Use the club's complaints process, then the regulator for your nation.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in childcare & family

How to hire: Before-School CareHow to hire: Holiday ChildcareHow to hire: ChildminderHow to hire: NannyHow to hire: Part-Time NannyHow to hire: School Run / PickupHow to hire: Homework HelpHow to hire: BabysitterAll 701 hiring guides →

After-school clubs near you

After-school clubs in LondonAfter-school clubs in ManchesterAfter-school clubs in BirminghamAfter-school clubs in GlasgowAfter-school clubs in BelfastAll after-school clubs on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Ofsted — nurseries and other daycare (childcare on non-domestic premises): registration
  2. Ofsted — registration exemptions (England)
  3. Ofsted — check if childcare is registered
  4. Care Inspectorate Wales — guide to registration, Children and Families (Wales) Measure 2010
  5. Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010, schedule 12
  6. Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995, Article 118
  7. gov.uk — DBS checks: levels and who can request one
  8. gov.uk — Tax-Free Childcare
  9. nidirect — help paying for approved childcare
  10. gov.uk — complain about childcare
  11. gov.uk — Welfare services and goods (VAT Notice 701/2)
  12. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — consumer's rights for services
  13. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  14. Welfare services and goods (VAT Notice 701/2) — 2.2.1 Care and protection of children that are exempt; 3.3 State regulated providers
  15. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  16. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register