Setting up extra- curricular classes in schools:

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Some practical considerations for before school, lunch time and after school yoga and mindfulness clubs.
 
Extra- curricular clubs can be great in your kids yoga business,  but there can be a lot to consider which can be really overwhelming when you first set them up.

I wanted to answer some questions that I’ve been asked about this subject. Do get in touch if you have more questions about this or anything else to do with kids yoga or children’s well-being email me at [email protected]
 
Financial considerations-
Who pays you?
Usually parents/ carers or the school. This varies from school to school. I have done both, but the model that I am most used to is parents paying me directly.
I have also worked in schools where the majority of the parents/ carers pay me directly, but some children are paid for by the school with the Pupil Premium funding.
 
How do they pay you?
If I am being paid by the school, I invoice the school and they either send a bank transfer or pay by cheque (old school, but it still happens in some schools!)
 
If the parents/ carers are paying, there are many options here: bank transfer, having the term as an item on my website that is ‘click and buy’, you can set up a payment link in stripe or in Paypal, some people still take payments by cheque, or you could use a booking system like Bookwhen. If you are using a system like Bookwhen, make the description really clear, especially if you teach at different schools or have different classes, include the name of the school or the name of the year group so parents know which one to choose.
In all cases, make the process as easy as possible for both you and your client.
 
When do they pay you?
This depends on your business and how you want it to work for you. Also, it depends on how the school operates, they may have a system in place that they want to stick with.
I would recommend either half termly or termly, I prefer termly as this means that I only need to do this job 3 times a year rather than 6. But this also means that I only get paid for this work 3 times a year, so I need to manage my money!
 
What systems can you use to support this?
To make things easier on yourself, it’s good to have a system in place for things like this. It could be as simple as having a folder with all of the documents in that you need for you to just edit each term. Planning in a day each term to sort out the admin involved can be a great way to manage this and not feel overwhelmed by it all, having dates on your calendar of what you’ll do when really helps here.

Also, creating ‘Standard Operating Procedures’ that you refer to each time can really help streamline how much time you spend on this. This sounds complicated, but it can be really simple, such as a checklist that you refer to each time you do the job. If it is only something that you do a few times a year, it can be really easy to forget how you do things, which means that it will take longer than it needs to. Simply write a list of everything that you do at the point of doing it, then it will be there for you to refer back to next time.
 
Documents-
It can feel really overwhelming ensuring that you have all of the documents that you need in place. Here are some important ones for extra-curricular clubs. You might also find this checklist handy.

Terms and conditions- It’s important to have your terms and conditions written somewhere and shared with parents at the point of booking, this could be that you share a link to a google doc, or a page on your website, or even that you email an actual copy of them. Make sure that it outlines your rules for cancellations and refunds etc. If you are taking the booking from parents directly, this can be easier to share, but if the school are arranging it, you can give them a document to put on their website or send via parent mail.
 
Health and safety- When children are booked on to your class, it’s really important that you have information shared with you that is pertinent to the child’s health. This might be via a google form, a paper form or an understanding that parents will email you. You may also need emergency contact details, depending on the schools policy here, some schools have office staff in the school at the time of the class, so this may not be needed.

GDPR and Privacy- Make sure that you are only gathering and storing the information that is vital for you to fulfil your role and that you are saving it in a GPRR compliant manner.
You might find this website useful for this.

Communication
With schools, make sure that you are clear about who your point of contact is and how to contact them. Ensuring that everybody is on the same page about what is happening when and who is responsible for what, is really vital. For example, what are the expectations for the end of the class or sending the children home after? What is the procedure forif a child is not collected? Who’s responsibility is first aid etc.
When communicating with parents and carers, again it is really important to check that you have the right contact details. Ensure that you have clear information that is easily accessible about dates, times, expectations etc. So that everyone knows what is happening when.
 
Extra- curricular clubs can be a great source of fun and finances in your kids yoga business, but it can feel like a big thing to organise.
If you would like some support in setting up your extra-curricular classes, email me at [email protected] I will share with you some options of ways I can help you.