On your Mark, Get Set, Go!
Get ready. Get running. Get your whole school involved.
A Run Kids Run event is more than a day of running. It is an opportunity to get children and families active, bring your school community together and raise vital funds for projects that make a lasting difference to children’s education.
We work closely with every participating school and provide everything you need to deliver a safe, exciting and successful event. From registration and fundraising to training and rallying the school community, early planning is the key to a great turnout and a successful fundraising campaign.
Here’s your step-by-step guide.
1. Get your School Team Together
A dedicated organising team is the starting point for a successful event.
We recommend bringing together 4–6 parents, PTA members and/or school staff to lead the initiative. You don't need to do everything yourself, divide up the responsibilities and get the wider school community involved.
Your team might include:
- School Lead – the main point of contact with Run Kids Run
- Fundraising Lead – agrees the fundraising goal and manages the donation page
- Registration Lead – coordinates runner registrations and keeps the school list up to date
- Communications Lead – promotes the event through assemblies, newsletters and class groups
- Training Lead – gets the children ready for their run
- Volunteer Lead – recruits parents and staff to help on race day
TOP TIP
Start early and delegate. A small team with clear responsibilities will make organising the event much easier.
2. Think Big: Choose your School Project
The Run Kids Run is an opportunity for your school to think BIG about what you could achieve with the funds raised.
Talk to your Senior Leadership Team, PTA and/or school community about your priorities. What would make the biggest difference to your children?
Your project could support either: EDUCATION, WELLBEING or LEGACY
REMEMBER
The bigger the ambition, the more important it is to get everyone behind the goal.
3.Understanding the School Grant Terms
Grant Criteria
Sponsorship funding must be used for projects that provide a clear and lasting benefit to pupils and fall within one of the following categories.
1. Infrastructure
- Building or improvement projects, such as libraries, sensory rooms and playgrounds.
- The purchase or upgrade of equipment that supports teaching and learning, including IT equipment, educational software and PE equipment.
- Durable resources that represent a long-term investment for the school. Wherever possible, funded items should have an expected lifespan of at least three years.
2. Enrichment
- Wellbeing initiatives, counselling and enrichment programmes.
- Educational visits, residential trips and extra-curricular activities.
- Specialist-led sports, arts or music programmes.
- Fees for external providers delivering clubs or enrichment activities.
Schools must invest their funds within 12 months of becoming eligible to receive the grant. If the funding is intended to contribute towards a larger, multi-year project, the school must notify Run Kids Run before the end of the 12-month period. Subject to agreement, Run Kids Run will retain the funds on the school's behalf until the project is ready to proceed.
Grant Exclusions
The grant cannot be used to fund:
- Maintenance, repairs or routine replacement of existing facilities or equipment.
- General facilities costs, including storage units and similar infrastructure not directly supporting learning.
- Staff training, professional development or qualifications.
- General operational or running costs of the school
4. Register your Runners
Pre-registration is required for everyone taking part, children and adults.
This allows us to plan the event safely and make sure we have enough equipment, medals, refreshments and support on the day.
Run Kids Run will set up a Google Forms registration page for your school together with a registration QR code on your school's event poster.
Each school is responsible for:
- Sharing the registration link with families
- Keeping track of registered runners
- Updating Run Kids Run on registration numbers
- Bringing the final list of runners on race day
- Ensuring that everyone taking part has completed the registration process
Schools can decide how they want to organise registration and whether to charge for tickets. You can create individual or family tickets, depending on what works best for your school.
Everyone registering must agree to the Event Terms & Conditions, including the relevant photographic consent.
5. Set up your Fundraising Page
Once you've agreed your school project and fundraising target, set up your donation page and start sharing it. Your PTA or school may already have an account with a fundraising platform such as: Crowdfunder, Enthuse, JustGiving, RallyUp . . .
We also recommend Superkind, a fundraising platform specifically developed for schools and PTAs, including schools that are not registered charities.
Your fundraising page should clearly explain:
- What you are fundraising for
- Your Fundraising Target
- Why it matters and how it will benefit the children
6. Sponsor your Runners
Encourage children to ask friends, family and neighbours to sponsor their running challenge. Share the fundraising link everywhere: class WhatsApp groups, newsletters, email signatures and social media, and keep reminding people throughout the campaign.
The fundraising doesn't have to stop when the running does.
Keep your page open for a few weeks after the event to give families and supporters more time to donate.