Soft-Play Business Owner

Key skills/talents

Setting up a kids' soft play business in the UK requires a combination of skills and qualities to ensure success:

 

1. Entrepreneurial Spirit: Drive and creativity to identify opportunities and propel your business forward.

2. Market Research: Ability to understand demand, identify target markets, and assess competition effectively.

3. Ability to Accept Criticism and Work Well Under Pressure. A business like this can be challenging in lots of ways. It therefore requires not only the ability to work efficiently under stress but also to accept constructive criticism as a tool for improvement, adapting and refining to consistently deliver outstanding results even in demanding circumstances.

4. Business Planning: Proficiency in developing a solid business plan outlining goals, strategies, and financial projections.

5. Location Selection: Skill in choosing an optimal location based on visibility, accessibility, and competition.

6. Regulatory Compliance: Understanding of legal requirements, including licensing, safety regulations, and insurance.

7. Design and Layout: Ability to create an engaging and safe play space suitable for various age groups.

8. Equipment Procurement: Skill in sourcing high-quality, safe, and age-appropriate soft play equipment.

9. High standards of cleanliness: Clean equipment, toilets, eating areas and the premises in general, are vital to the success of a business like this. Your reputation demands it.

10. Marketing and Promotion: Proficiency in marketing strategies to attract customers and build brand awareness, including online and local outreach.

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​Qualifications required

While no qualifications are required, having experience or qualifications in childcare or early childhood education can be beneficial for understanding children's developmental needs and ensuring a safe and engaging play environment. It is also something to promote to potential customers (as the owners of the business). This link should get you started in this area: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-qualifications-achieved-in-england

 

It may also be worth attaining a Paediatric First Aid qualification for you and your staff, along with a DBS certificate for any person working with children:

 

https://www.sja.org.uk/courses/schools-first-aid/blended-online-paediatric-first-aid/book-opf/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwrIixBhBbEiwACEqDJZe7zb-HFoQCfESIQOrZ-x__bCGJIwDm-7Xu3kXgyfrBdCAsM4rgZhoCsLIQAvD_BwE

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/disclosure-and-barring-service

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Rules and regs

There is no legal requirement to comply with British and European standards, but it is always advisable to follow them. Following these standards will not necessarily create a safe playground but may prevent accidents from occurring and would form part of a defence in showing that ‘all reasonable precautions’ had been taken to avoid an offence being committed.

 

BS EN1176 (Playground Equipment) is published in seven parts and describes methods of testing, construction and performance of Equipment: https://www.rospa.com/policy/play-safety/advice/en1176-equipment-standard

 

BS EN 1177 (Impact absorbing playground surfacing) covers testing for impact absorbing surfaces and is used to establish suitability of surfacing: https://www.playgroundsafetyinspector.co.uk/en-1177

 

The Association of Play Industries (API) provides clear guidance on it’s rules regarding play areas: https://www.api-play.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2018/02/FINAL-Revision-Document-Provision-of-Impact-Attenuating-Surfaces-API-Code-of-Practice-Version3-RevJuly15.pdf

 

It is essential that businesses providing play facilities are aware of their legal responsibilities in both civil and criminal law…

 

Powers of Enforcement Officers

 

Proprietors should adopt a proactive approach to safety to prevent accidents wherever possible and regard should be paid to appropriate guidance. 

 

Environmental Health Professionals are the enforcing authority in respect of this Act in a wide range of premises and have extensive powers to ensure compliance with the law.

 

During inspections they will be looking for a systematic approach to safety involving documented assessments, inspection and maintenance programmes and staff training etc.

 

If it is considered that there are serious contraventions, failures or imminent risk of accident then enforcement action may be taken using improvement notices, prohibition notices or ultimately Prosecution.

 

The Health and Safety at Work Etc. Act 1974

 

Sections 3 and 4 of this Act place a duty on businesses providing play facilities to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of persons frequenting their premises and using the facilities. In the context of this guide this duty extends to ensuring the safe siting, installation and maintenance of play equipment.

 

Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

 

These regulations require an employer to carry out risk assessments. In simple terms this means identifying hazards and assessing whether they are likely to lead to the death or injury of staff, visitors, customers etc. If there is a significant chance (risk) of death or injury then the employer must take action to eliminate or reduce the risk.

 

Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR)

 

These regulations require the notification of certain accidents to an Incident Contact Centre. A guidance leaflet ‘RIDDOR Reporting’ is available free of charge from your local authority.

 

Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1999

 

These regulations apply if chemicals are used in play areas for cleaning or disinfection. Further advice can be obtained from your local authority.

 

The Occupiers Liability Act, 1957 and 1984

 

These Acts impose a ‘Duty of Care’ on the occupier of premises to people visiting and using them. The 1957 Act imposes this duty in respect of lawful visitors. Section 2(3)(a) of that Act states that greater care is required where children are concerned and is therefore of particular importance in respect of play areas. The 1984 Act extends a limited duty of care over trespassers by applying a “test of liability”

 

The Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977

 

The extent to which civil liability can be avoided is restricted by this Act.

 

Notices attempting to exempt the proprietor from liability for personal injury or death will not be effective in law.

 

Notices may, however, prove useful in providing safety or warning messages but it must also be borne in mind that children may not be able to read or understand the signs' full significance. Warning signs should conform to the Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996.

 

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) details policy for all those looking to open a soft play centre. This includes details of all inspections that must take place, both before you open & after, equipment safety standards, cleaning & staff training: https://www.rospa.com/policy/play-safety/inspections/soft-play-inspections/standards

https://www.rospa.com/policy/play-safety/inspections/soft-play-inspections

https://www.rospa.com/policy/play-safety/services/advice/indoor-soft-play

 

Insurance is a must. The following links are from companies detailing the precise cover you and your business must have: 

https://www.davidjmiller.co.uk/soft-play-insurance

https://prosura.co.uk/soft-play-centre-insurancec

https://www.peacockinsurance.co.uk/soft-play-insurance

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Remuneration framework

We wouldn’t even know what to predict for this as a ‘UK standard’,  however, The Yard ladies charge £5 for each 1.5 hour slot. They then clean down for half an hour and go again. 

 

They allow up to 30 children and 30 adults per session, although adults do not pay for themselves.  

 

Assuming you have 3 sessions a day, like they do, at capacity, that is £450 a day in entry revenue. Multiplied by 7 days (which they are open) = £3,150 as a ‘max’ weekly revenue, £163,800 if multiplied by 52 weeks of the year. 

 

Food and drink is on top of this, so that figure would probably triple, if not quadruple with F&B added in.

 

There’s definitely good money to be made with a business like this, but likewise, there will always be a ceiling cap, so costs and spend-management will be key to profits.

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How to get started

Certainly if you are considering opening a soft-play centre, working in one beforehand, and getting a good amount of hands-on day-to-day experience in one is key, because as Amy and Jo mention, they did it blind and in lots of ways hard to learn the hard way with it all.

 

Factors to consider regarding the location of a play area:

 

• Access – For children, pushchairs, the disabled, emergency services etc

• Access routes – Hard surfaces should be non-slip so they are not affected by weather conditions. Avoid the need to cross roads/car parks to reduce risk of injury by traffic. Consider relationships to other buildings or facilities such as toilets.

• Supervision – Providing seating, tables, parasols etc near to the play area encourages guardians to remain in the vicinity and helps improve supervision.

• Security – Is the site protected from vandalism or improper use outside of opening hours? Is the site enclosed to reduce the risk of abduction?

• Topology – The site should be level and have adequate drainage so as to reduce the risk of corrosion to equipment and surfaces.

 

Factors to consider with the layout of a play area:

 

• Installation – Ensure equipment is installed in accordance with manufacturers instructions and that clearance distances around equipment are adequate.

• Entrance – Ensure moving equipment is sited away from the entrance to the play area to reduce the risk of collision.

• Zones – Is there a need for definite zones to segregate toddlers from older children to reduce the risk of collision/ bullying? Zones can also be used to separate moving equipment from that which does not move thus reducing the risk of accidental collision.

• Routing – Children will take the most direct route from one piece of equipment to the next; this may create a risk of collision with other children/moving play equipment. Therefore landscaping, fencing etc should be used to direct them safely between equipment. However such features must be safe, e.g. no thorny bushes or fencing with sharp edges. Research shows that natural surroundings induce calm e.g. less stress / conflict.

• Emergencies – The layout should permit adult access to all areas in the event of an emergency e.g. care should be taken with the design and siting of tunnels etc in case children get trapped. 

 

Consideration should also be given to the following:

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• Maintenance – Daily, weekly, monthly and annual checks should be carried out. See pages 19 – 23 of this booklet for further details.

• Glass - One of the most frequent checks should be for glass. Glasses, glass bottles etc. should not be allowed in or around the play area as any breakage creates a serious risk of injury and is difficult to clean up. Plastic glasses could be used as an alternative.

• Litter – Litter, like glass, can cause injury. Sufficient bins should therefore be provided together with information signs.

• Vandalism – Vandalism of play equipment is often a problem.

• Fencing off the area and making access difficult for an intruder is a sensible action. Remember that if an intruder injures himself on the equipment there is a degree of responsibility with the employer.

• Poisonous plants – If you have bushes / trees growing within or close to a play area that produce berries it would be wise to remove them to ensure that children cannot eat the berries as some are poisonous.

• Roads – If possible do not site play areas near roads or car parks. Where this is not possible ensure that areas where children may gain access to roads are adequately fenced with gates that are child proof.

• Water – rivers, ponds etc – Like roads these areas should be adequately fenced to reduce the risk of children falling in. A sign by itself is not adequate.

• Animals/dogs (biting)– Where dogs and other pets are allowed into children’s play areas there will always be the risk of a child being bitten. You should therefore consider a no dogs/pets policy or all dogs should be kept on a lead rule.

• Animal faeces (disease) – Animal faeces can harbour a wide range of bacteria and viruses etc. that can cause serious illness in adults and children. For this reason the play area should be checked at least each day before opening. Any faeces found must be removed and disposed of correctly.

• Ice – Ice is a slip hazard and should be checked for in the winter months on a daily basis and the appropriate action taken.

• Flooding – The provision of good drainage at the planning stage will help alleviate this problem. If this is not the case then appropriate plans should be considered for removal of water in flooded areas.

• Abduction – There are a number of measures that can be taken to reduce the risk of a child being abducted from a play area.

• Supervision of the play area by:

  • Staff/parents

  • CCTV cameras

  • Fencing

  • Lighting

 

Here is a link to a brilliant blog post from someone setting up their own soft play space: https://www.softbrick.co.uk/blogs/news/84113347-setting-up-an-indoor-soft-play-business

 

This blog also details a step by step: https://www.roller.software/blog/start-soft-play-business

 

The correct equipment is a regulation, as set out by RoSPA. The Association of Indoor Play lists all companies that meet the specified regulations: https://www.api-play.org/company/

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Associations or official bodies to register with

The Association of Indoor Play (AIP) is the Trade Association for the indoor play sector in the United Kingdom. They are a ‘not for profit’ organisation set up to be the voice of the Indoor Play Sector: https://www.associationofindoorplay.org

 

As already mentioned, The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) details policy for all those looking to open a soft play centre and their membership information can be found here: https://www.rospa.com

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Job site links

The usual job sites, such as Indeed, will have listings for roles in your local soft play centre(s), but it is worth knowing who your local centres are, and checking their websites where they will list any openings available.

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Progression pathway​

We touch on this in the chat with Amy and Jo, because they are now at the max of their earning capability with the space and centre they have. Now they could allow more children in, or open for longer each day, but they choose not to.

 

Beyond that, the progression options are to open a second or third centre under an umbrella business, either under the same name as the first, or by taking over an established business, like Amy and Jo did. Amy and Jo have not ruled this out, but for now and whilst their children are - well, still children - they are parking this idea.

 

A third option could be to run a franchise scheme, where you set up the business model and the brand, and then franchisees buy into that and set-up their own centre, under your name, but run by them, not you. This is a risky route and would require very close supervision as the franchise owner, but it’s an option. Some information on how franchises can work, can be found here: https://www.franchise-uk.co.uk/advice-uk/how-does-a-franchise-work-2