Guide to Licensing of Children for Performances, Sporting Activities and Modelling

Licence application

Paid/Unpaid Work	Type of Work	Absence from school?	Length of Performance	Medical Required?	Licence Required?
Paid Work	TV or Filming	Absent from School	Any period of time	Yes - unless one provided within previous 6 months	Licence Required
Paid Work	TV or Filming	Not Absent from School	Any period of time	Yes - unless one provided within previous 6 months	Licence Required
Paid Work	Theatre, Sporting Activity or Modelling	Absent from School	Any period of time	No Medical Required	Licence Required
Paid Work	Theatre, Sporting Activity or Modelling	Not Absent from School	Any period of time	No Medical Required	Licence Required
Unpaid Work	TV or Filming	Absent from School	Any period of time	Yes - unless one provided within previous 6 months	Licence Required
Unpaid Work	TV or Filming	Not Absent from School	Any period of time up to and including 4 days (and not performed within the previous 6 months)	No	No
Unpaid Work	Theatre, Sporting Activity or Modelling	Absent from School	Any period of time up to and including 4 days (and not performed within the previous 6 months)	No Medical Required	Licence Required
Unpaid Work	Theatre, Sporting Activity or Modelling	Not Absent from School	Any period of time up to and including 4 days (and not performed within the previous 6 months)	No Medical Required	No
Unpaid Work	TV or Filming	Absent from School	5 days or more	Yes unless one provided within previous 6 months	Licence Required
Unpaid Work	TV or Filming	Not Absent from School	5 days or more	Yes unless one provided within previous 6 months	Licence Required
Unpaid Work	Theatre, Sporting Activity or Modelling	Absent from School	5 days or more	Possible Medical Required	Licence Required
Unpaid Work	Theatre, Sporting Activity or Modelling	Not Absent from School	5 days or more	Possible Medical Required	Licence Required

• Paid Performance. Payment to the child in respect of the child's taking part in the performance whether to him/her or to any other person.
   
• Unpaid Performance. "... no payment in respect of the child's taking part in the performance is made, whether to him/her or to any other person except for defraying expenses means that there is no question of any payment or consideration to procure the services of any child taking part in the performance". - A Guide To The Children (Performances) Regulations 1968.
   
• Absence from School. "...Leave of absence may not be given to enable a pupil to undertake employment except in accordance with the licence. The Act and Regulations contain no provision under which absence from school may be authorised for an unlicensed performance." - A Guide to The Children (Performances) Regulations 1968. Also see the Education (Pupil Registration) Regulations 1995, Regulation 8(2)(b)
   
• Medical Certificates are required with applications for children wishing to take part in licensed performances in any television or film work, regardless of any number of days or half days under the conditions of the licence.

  For broadcast performances, such as radio productions, a child can perform on up to and including 6 days in a six month period without the need for a medical.

  For other performances such as theatre work, if the child takes part on the maximum number of days in the week allowed, i.e. 6 days, and the performances are required for more than one week, a medical certificate will be required.

  For sporting activities and modelling, where the application is for a licence for an activity, a statement by the child's parent that the child is medically fit for the proposed activity must be provided with the original application.

  Any costs incurred with obtaining medical certificates are generally accepted as being met by the body responsible for the production.
   

• When a licence is required a child shall not take part in a performance or activity except under the authority of a licence. Backdated licences should not be issued, they undermine the licensing process which is, after all, a safeguard for the children.

  When licenses are requested at short notice, Local Authorities will invariably try to accommodate requests. However there must be enough time to deal with the application detail beforehand. Productions should not be mindful that the Local Authority can insist upon '21 days' notice - The Children (Performances) Regulations 1968, Regulation 1(3)

  When sending details from one Local Authority to another - "the licensing authority must send to those authorities copies of the application form and the licence, together with any information they think should be brought to the notice of the other authorities" - Children (Performances) Regulations 1968, Regulation 4.

• Body of Persons & Performance Licence Exemptions 
  These are some of the questions we are frequently asked about Body of Persons applications and exemptions from child licensing.

• Application for a Body of Persons Single Production 
  The Children (Performance and Activities) (England) Regulations 2014

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