These are some examples of the types of work children of school age can be employed to do:
This is not a complete list.
These are some examples of work children of school age cannot be employed to do:
This is not a complete list.
No child may start work before 7am or finish later than 7pm. When aged between 13 years and their school leaving date a child may work:
During term time:
During school holidays:
Weekend employment:
All Saturday employment (both term time and school holiday) is restricted to:
All Sunday employment (both term time and school holiday) is restricted to a maximum of two hours.
Breaks:
A child who works for four hours in any one session must have a break of one hour.
A child must have at least 2 consecutive weeks without employment in each year
Children may not work during school hours. Employment should not impede the child's education.
All children who are of statutory school age who work must by law have a work permit.
You can apply for a work permit by completing an application form.
Employers are responsible for ensuring that each child:
The employer is also responsible for carrying out a risk assessment.
Work experience is a part of the education curriculum and is governed by education legislature which is very different from child employment legislation, both in the work a child is allowed to do and the hours they are permitted to work.
Additional resources on child employment:
Children who are of school age may require a licence to perform in entertainment. This includes amateur dramatic groups, dance schools, orchestras, choirs and singing groups.
The person responsible for the production of the performance needs to make an application to the Local Authority where the child lives for a performance licence.
Performance: a licence is issued for the duration of the specified performance (which must not exceed six months).
Modelling: In certain circumstances it is possible for the Local Authority (LA) to issue a six-month extended licence to cover such activities as modelling.
All children must be always under the care and supervision of a responsible adult. This can be their parent or a registered Chaperone. Please see further information about this in the Chaperone Licencing section of this webpage.
We (the local authority) will only grant a performance licence if we are satisfied that:
If we decide to grant a licence, we may impose conditions that will be specified on the licence.
Child performance and activities licensing legislation in England (opens new window) "a local authority may refuse to consider an application if the performance or activity is less than 21 days away. Responsible persons should consider the risks to children and the arrangements needed to mitigate them at the start of planning for any performance or activity. Safeguarding children must not be an afterthought."
Please read our Norfolk County Council - performance licencing overview section of this page and use the appropriate form below to make your application.
Please read the Norfolk County Council Performance licencing overview.
You need to complete a separate performance licence application for each child.
You will need to include with each application the supporting information detailed on page one of the application form.
Please email completed applications to cs.childperformance@norfolk.gov.uk.
(Please contact cs.childperformance@norfolk.gov.uk to arrange a discussion if you intend to apply for twenty or more performance licences, as we may be able to help make the submission of multiple performance licence applications easier.)
A body of persons approval (BOPA) can allow children to take part in performances without the need to apply for a child performance licence for each child.
There must be no school absence or payment to the child.
It is the local authority where the performance is taking place that issue the BOPAs. A BOPA is issued at the discretion of the local authority and can be granted to any type of organisation - professional or amateur. This can be for a single performance or for a series of performances within a specified time period.
To complete the BOPA application webform below, you will need:
You should also prepare the following documents for upload:
When completing your BOPA application, please have the above information available. You will need to complete and submit your application within a single session of under two hours or you will be timed out.
If an organisation is relying on the four-day rule as a basis for not applying for a licence, they should have reasonable grounds for believing the child has not (or will not when including your performance) performed on more than four days in the previous six months.
If you are thinking of applying the four-day rule, you should assess each child individually on a case-by-case basis as you will need separate assurances for each child.
Please email notifications of intent to apply four-day rule exemption to cs.childperformance@norfolk.gov.uk.
Anyone wanting to become a licenced Chaperone needs to be trained to understand their responsibilities and how to fulfil them.
As a Chaperone you are fully responsible for children all the time they are in your care. This includes when children are on tour when you must check that the accommodation is both suitable and safe.
You are the main point of safety for each child in your care and they must be able to rely on you at all times. It is your responsibility to:
Chaperones act in the place of each child's parent or guardian, always ensuring that the child is put first, their needs are met, and they are safe.
To become a licenced chaperone:
You must be aged eighteen or over to make an application.
Chaperones must arrange for two responsible adults to each provide a reference detailing their suitability to be a chaperone. We encourage applicants to signpost referees to the information on this webpage for them to understand what the chaperone role involves before they comment on the suitability of the applicant. Please also ensure they read the Referee form in full before completing it.
Referees need to complete Appendix 1 - Referee form and return direct to cs.chaperonelicensing@norfolk.gov.uk within five days of the chaperone application submission, failure to do this may result in the rejection of the application.
We do not share details of your reference with the applicant. This so that you can feel secure and give an open and honest account of the applicant's suitability for the chaperone role.
As part of the Chaperone Licence application process, we must complete background checks. Consent for these checks is included in our application form, and these checks include a Social Care check.
This pack includes information, guidance and useful links to relevant information and is a support pack for Norfolk County Council Licensed Chaperones. This may also help others to better understand the role.
The Norfolk County Council Chaperone Licence takes the form of a photo ID card and branded lanyard so that the Chaperone Licence can be worn to help identify the Chaperone.
The following form should be used when a photo ID card chaperone licence has been issued but a replacement is required as this has been lost or damaged.
Additional resources for children in entertainment:
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