PAR-Q Form for Pilates and Yoga Classes: UK Guide

Most new studio owners download the first PAR-Q form they find, print a stack of copies and hand them out at the front desk. Within a month the paper is in a drawer, half the regulars never filled one in, and nobody knows what to do with the client who ticked "yes" to a heart question.

This guide covers the whole process for a small Pilates or yoga studio in the UK: which form to use and what you are allowed to do with it, what to add for mat and reformer work, how to handle a "yes", when to collect it, how to store it under UK GDPR and when to ask for it again. It is practical guidance, not medical or legal advice. Where something depends on your situation, it says who to ask.

What a PAR-Q is and when a studio should ask for it

PAR-Q stands for Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire. It is a short screening tool that asks someone about their health before they start or increase exercise. It does not diagnose anything and it does not tell you how to teach. What it does is tell you two things:

1. whether a new client can start with no extra steps, or
2. whether they need more questions answered first, possibly by a qualified exercise professional or a healthcare professional.

For a studio, the sensible moment to ask is before the first class, every time you take on a new client. That includes drop-ins and people on a trial class, because they are often the ones you know least about. Your insurer may also have requirements about pre-exercise screening, so check what your own policy says.

The official PAR-Q+

The current version is the PAR-Q+, published by the PAR-Q+ Collaboration on eparmedx.com. It is the version to use instead of older one-page copies floating around online. The site itself tells users to stick to official versions and avoid outdated or modified copies.

According to the official site, the form works like this:

Read the terms before you use it

This is the part most studios skip, and it matters. The PAR-Q+ Terms and Conditions say, in summary (checked November 2026):

• The official, unmodified forms are free to use for eligible individual, clinical, educational and non-commercial research purposes. The Collaboration reserves the right to introduce licensing or service fees for future authorised uses, and earlier free permission does not guarantee free use forever.
• If you print and administer the forms, you must keep the original content, copyright notices, acknowledgements and version information intact.
• Changing the form (for example question wording, order or screening pathways) needs prior written authorisation, even for small changes.
• Putting it into an electronic survey, mobile app or other digital platform also needs prior written authorisation.
• Permission requests go to the contact address listed on that page, stating your intended purpose and the versions you want to use.

What this means in practice for a studio:

• Do not retype the PAR-Q+ questions into your own Google Form or booking system without permission.
• Do not edit the official PDF to add your logo or extra questions.
• If you run a commercial studio, read the terms yourself and, if in doubt, email the PAR-Q+ Collaboration to ask whether your use is covered. That is why this article does not offer its own PAR-Q+ download: link clients to the official site and its current fillable version.

Your own extra questions (next section) can go on a separate studio intake form that you write yourself.

Pilates and yoga prompts to add on your own intake form

The PAR-Q+ is a general exercise screen. Pilates and yoga have some specific situations worth asking about, because they change how an instructor sets someone up on the mat or the reformer. Write these as questions on your own form, keep them neutral, and never turn the answers into a diagnosis.

Two rules for your team:

• The instructor does not decide whether something is safe medically. If an answer worries them, the client is asked to check with their GP, physiotherapist or midwife before the next class.
• Ask, adapt or refer, never prescribe. An instructor can offer a modification. They should not tell a client what their condition means.

What to do if a client answers yes

A "yes" is not a ban. It means the client follows the next step the official form gives them. Based on how the official PAR-Q+ process is described on eparmedx.com:

Keep a note of which step each client reached and the date. If a client is unhappy about being asked for clearance, explain that the form decides it, not you personally.

Collect it before the first booking

Paper on the front desk fails because the busiest moment of the class (check-in) is the worst moment to read a health form. Move it earlier:

1. When someone books their first class, send them a confirmation that includes the link to the official PAR-Q+ and your own studio intake form.
2. Ask for it back at least a day before class, so the instructor can read it.
3. No form, no first class. Make this a clear written policy in your terms of booking so the front desk does not have to argue about it.
4. Brief the instructor before class with any relevant notes (pregnancy, recent surgery, joint replacement), never by reading the whole form out loud in the studio.

Capped class sizes help here too. With a small group the instructor can actually watch the client who mentioned a knee replacement.

Store it: UK GDPR and health data

A completed PAR-Q or intake form contains information about someone's health. Under UK GDPR, data concerning health is special category data, and the ICO's guidance says that, as well as an Article 6 lawful basis, you also need a separate condition under Article 9 to process it. Explicit consent is one of those conditions (Article 9(2)(a)), and the ICO's guidance describes it as needing a clear statement, oral or written, that covers the specific health information, rather than being inferred from someone's actions. Check the exact wording on the ICO pages below.

Rather than relying on a summary, read the ICO's own pages and decide with them:

• What are the rules on special category data?
• What are the conditions for processing?
• When is consent appropriate?

Practical habits that make compliance easier, whatever basis you choose:

• Know where every form lives. One locked cabinet or one access-controlled folder, not printouts in three places and copies on a phone.
• Limit who can see it. The owner and the teaching instructor, not everyone with a front desk login.
• Tell clients why you ask and how long you keep it in your privacy notice.
• Do not share forms on WhatsApp groups or in shared email inboxes.
• Decide a deletion point for people who stop coming, and stick to it.

If you are unsure about your lawful basis, retention period or whether you need further documentation, contact the ICO through its website or ask a data protection adviser to review your setup. Do not guess.

How often to renew it

The official PAR-Q+ site does not set a fixed renewal period, so this is a studio policy choice. Write it down and apply it to everyone. A reasonable policy has two parts:

• A regular refresh, for example once a year for every active client. Pick a period that suits your studio and say so in your booking terms.
• An immediate refresh when something changes: pregnancy, giving birth, surgery, a new diagnosis, a new injury, or starting a more demanding class type (for example moving from mat to reformer).

Ask clients to tell you about changes before class, and make it easy for them to do so.

Checklist

• Link to the current official PAR-Q+ on eparmedx.com, not an old copy
• Read the PAR-Q+ Terms and Conditions and ask permission if you want to modify it, put it online or your use may fall outside the free purposes
• Write your own separate studio intake form for pregnancy, postnatal, surgery, joint replacements and spinal issues
• Brief instructors: ask, adapt or refer, never prescribe
• Use the official decision steps for any "yes", including healthcare clearance where the form says so
• Send forms when someone first books, and require them back before class
• Add "no form, no first class" to your booking terms
• Read the ICO guidance on special category data and choose your lawful basis and Article 9 condition
• Store forms in one access-controlled place and set a deletion point
• Set and publish your renewal policy, plus "tell us if anything changes"
• Check what your insurance policy requires on screening

If you are still setting up the studio, the UK guide to opening a Pilates studio and the article on music licences for classes cover the other paperwork.

On the software side, the easiest moment to send the form is the first booking. With a booking tool like Lorari, new clients book from your own studio booking page and you can cap each class at the number of spots or machines you have, so you can include the form link in your first-booking routine and keep groups small enough to supervise. If you are comparing tools, see our studio software alternatives.

Summary

• Use the official PAR-Q+ from eparmedx.com and do not modify it or build it into software without permission.
• Add Pilates and yoga questions on a separate intake form you write yourself.
• A "yes" means following the official next step, which can end in healthcare clearance.
• Collect forms before the first class, not at check-in.
• Health data is special category data under UK GDPR: follow the ICO guidance and ask for help if unsure.
• Renewal timing is your policy: a regular refresh plus an update whenever health changes.