The Monday after half term
You run kids' yoga on Monday and Wednesday afternoons, sold by the term. Parents fill in a paper form in the first week, pay by bank transfer, and you keep a folder with emergency contacts. A child joins three weeks into term, so you work out a pro rata price on a calculator. Two siblings get a discount, which you apply by hand.
On Wednesday a grandparent turns up to collect a child. The form says only the parents can collect. The instructor rings the mum, who says it is fine, and nobody writes it down. Next term the forms are filled in again from scratch.
Why kids' classes do not fit adult booking
Studio booking systems are designed for adults booking themselves into single classes or with packs. Kids' classes involve a parent booking for one or more children, a whole term at once, with information about the child that the adult system has no fields for.
Collection, emergency contacts and any notes the parent wants the instructor to know need to be available on the day, not in a folder in the office.
Term billing adds its own twists: pro rata joins, sibling discounts, missed-class policies and waiting lists for next term that start filling before this one ends.
What paper-based term bookings cost
| Weak spot | Impact |
|---|---|
| Paper forms each term | Retyping and missing information |
| Pro rata by calculator | Inconsistent prices between families |
| Collection rules in a folder | Instructors unsure at pick-up time |
| Bank transfers for term fees | Unclear who has paid |
| Waiting list on a notepad | Places for next term offered unfairly |
Safeguarding and collection procedures are yours to set with your own advisers and any governing body you belong to. Our part is making sure the information your procedures need is there when the instructor needs it.
A term booking system built for parents
We set up kids' classes as terms, either in your booking system if it can support them, or as a small connected booking flow.
- Parents create one account and add each child, with the details your policy asks for: date of birth, emergency contacts, notes for the instructor and named people allowed to collect.
- They book a term for a child. Sibling discounts and pro rata joins are calculated automatically from your rules.
- Payment is taken by card, in full or in parts, through Stripe or your booking system's own checkout.
- The instructor has a register on a tablet or phone showing each child, notes flagged by the parent and who can collect.
- Collection changes can be logged by the parent in advance, or by the instructor on the day with a note of who confirmed it.
- Current families get first offer of next term's places before the waiting list is invited.
Details we decide with you
- What to do with a missed class: no refund, a make-up class or a credit, following your policy.
- Trial sessions before committing to a term.
- Children moving between age groups mid-year.
- How long child details are kept after they stop attending, as your data protection adviser recommends.
Term time afterwards
Parents book and pay online before term. The instructor sees who is coming, any notes and who is collecting on their register. A mid-term joiner pays the right price without a calculator.
- Parent and child details held in one place
- Term prices, pro rata and sibling discounts applied consistently
- Registers with collection information on the day
- Fair offers for next term's places
Do your kids' classes run like this?
- Parents fill in paper forms every term.
- You work out pro rata and sibling prices by hand.
- Collection rules live in a folder.
- Term fees arrive by bank transfer with unclear references.
- Next term's waiting list is kept on paper.