HOW TO HIRE · CHILDCARE & FAMILY

How to hire a school run helper in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register applies to a short school run, but private hire licensing and vetting can. Here is what to check and ask.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a school run helper in five steps

  1. Walking or driving?A paid lift can be private hire work, which is licensed.
  2. Tell the school in writingWho collects, with a password.
  3. Check car seats and insuranceThe right seats and business-use cover.
  4. Ask for the vetting checkDBS, PVG or AccessNI.
  5. Agree the late and sick rulesWhat happens if the run cannot go ahead.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No childcare register covers a short school run in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland; a childminder or nanny doing the run as part of their care is covered by their own rules.

Phone two references and see photo ID.

Private hire licence if they are paid to drive

In England and Wales, gov.uk says, taxi and private hire drivers must be licensed — private hire means pre-booked journeys — and driving for pay unlicensed can be prosecuted; Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own processes.

If someone is paid to drive your child, ask whether they hold a private hire driver licence from the council and see it. gov.uk →

Criminal record check — DBS, PVG or AccessNI

Regular work with children can be regulated activity: enhanced DBS with the children's barred list in England and Wales, PVG in Scotland, enhanced AccessNI in Northern Ireland. You cannot apply for the check yourself.

Ask to see the school run helper's certificate and its date. gov.uk →

Trader status and cancellation

A school run helper in business is a trader under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. A service agreed online, by phone or in your home can usually be cancelled within 14 days under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013; if you asked for it to start sooner, you pay for what was done.

Keep the booking confirmation and the written terms.

VAT

Collecting children is exempt from VAT only when it is care supplied by a state-regulated childcare provider — registered with Ofsted, CIW, the Care Inspectorate or the Health and Social Care Trust — a charity or a public body; otherwise it is standard-rated. A school run helper who works for themselves and is not state-regulated is outside the exemption, but an individual earning under £90,000 does not charge VAT and has no VAT number to give.

Ask the school run helper whether the price per run is all you pay, with no VAT added. gov.uk →

“Will you walk, use the bus or drive on the school run?”

A good answer: A clear route and method.

“If you drive, do you hold a private hire licence or business-use insurance?”

A good answer: The licence where it is needed, and insurance that covers carrying children.

“Do you have the right car seats?”

A good answer: Seats for each child's size.

“Which criminal record check do you hold?”

A good answer: DBS, PVG or AccessNI, dated.

“What happens if the school run is late or the school closes early?”

A good answer: A written plan and a call.

“How will you tell me my child is collected?”

A good answer: A message at pick-up and drop-off.

“Who else might come on the run?”

A good answer: No one unagreed.

Booking by the hour

  • The price per run, and the hourly rate for waiting or for staying with the children afterwards
  • The minimum booking — set days each week — and what is paid if school closes early or a run is cancelled
  • Mileage, and who supplies car seats and boosters
  • The route, collection times and who may hand over or receive the children, agreed before the first run
  • ID checked, the rating, and car insurance that covers carrying children for payment

Walk away if

  • Paid driver with no private hire licence or business insurance
  • No car seats
  • No vetting check
  • No message at handover
  • Brings other passengers without asking
  • Changes the route without telling you

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

School run helpers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

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

  1. AgreementRoute, times, price.
  2. School toldIn writing, with a password.
  3. CollectionAt the gate or classroom.
  4. JourneySeatbelts, agreed route.
  5. HandoverMessage sent.

Private hire vehicle
A pre-booked car with a licensed driver.
Business-use insurance
Car cover for paid driving.
Collection password
A word the school asks for.
Regulated activity
Frequent work with children needing a check.
Inset day
A school training day.
PVG
Scotland's scheme.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the school informedOf any change in who collects.
Check the handover messagesEvery day.
Review the arrangementEach term.
Review the bookingTell the next family or client how the school run helper did. Something to fix first? The make-it-right step gives them the chance before your review goes live.

STEP 1Start with a message to the school run helperSet out the facts and the outcome you want, and keep a copy. Reasonable care and skill is implied into every service contract by section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015; if the runs fell short, the school run helper must redo it or reduce the bill under section 54.
STEP 2Ask Locufy to help put it rightWhen a booked school run helper gets under four stars, you choose whether they see the problem first, and we follow it up with them. Then you review.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplineNo regulator covers a school run helper, so a school run helper who will not engage can be referred to Trading Standards through Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales (0808 223 1144 in Welsh), Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Take it to small claimsA claim against a school run helper for money back can go to court without a solicitor — £10,000 is the limit in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland (simple procedure) and £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a school run helper: questions people ask

No childcare register applies to a short run in any UK nation.

Paid driving can be private hire work: in England and Wales private hire drivers must hold a council licence; Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own processes.

For regular runs, ask for enhanced DBS in England and Wales, PVG in Scotland or enhanced AccessNI in Northern Ireland.

No UK publisher prices school run / pickup as a separate service, so there is no guide figure. Driving runs cost more than walking ones. Ask two or three school run helpers for their price per run, the hourly rate for any waiting and the minimum days a week, for the same route and times, and enter your town above to see who is near you.

Agreed online or by phone, usually within 14 days; otherwise follow the written notice.

Raise it in writing; a helper in business owes reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in childcare & family

How to hire: After-School CareHow to hire: Before-School CareHow to hire: ChildminderHow to hire: NannyHow to hire: Part-Time NannyHow to hire: Au PairHow to hire: BabysitterHow to hire: Homework HelpAll 701 hiring guides →

School run helpers near you

School run helpers in LondonSchool run helpers in ManchesterSchool run helpers in BirminghamSchool run helpers in GlasgowSchool run helpers in BelfastAll school run helpers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — driver licences for taxis and private hire vehicles
  2. gov.uk (DBS) — regulated activity with children
  3. mygov.scot — who needs PVG scheme membership (personal employers)
  4. nidirect — AccessNI checks for the self-employed and personal employees
  5. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — cancellation period
  6. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 — services started in the cancellation period
  7. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — consumer's rights for services
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  9. Welfare services and goods (VAT Notice 701/2) — 2.2.1 Care and protection of children that are exempt; 3.3 State regulated providers
  10. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  11. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register