In February 2015, the Children (Performances and Activities) (England) Regulations 2014 ;came into force. All performance licences will be issued according to these regulations.
View the DfE guidance on child performances (.pdf, 298.3kB).
By law, if a child who is not over compulsory school age is participating in TV or film work, a theatrical production, modelling work or a sporting event he or she may require to be licensed by the local authority.
A child or young person may not require a licence if all of the following conditions apply:
- no payment is made to the child/young person or to any other person in relation to their participation
- no absence from school is required
- the child has not taken part in performances in the previous six months on more than three days or the performance is arranged by a school or by a body approved for the purpose by the Secretary of State or local education authority e.g. scout gang shows.
If your child is taking part in a performance/modelling or sporting event please email child.employment@brent.gov.uk for advice on whether a licence is required.
What you will need to apply
To obtain a performance licence an application form needs to be completed by the person responsible for the production of the performance and the parent of the child or young person. All sections on Part 1 and 2 of the licence application form must be fully completed at the time of request, and signed by both the applicant and parent. The application form must be sent with the following documents:
- one passport sized photograph
- a copy of the birth certificate
- a release letter from the child's school if the performance means the child would be absent from school
- a copy of the applicant's child protection policy
- a copy of the risk assessment
By law, local authorities may refuse any performance licence application, which is received less than 21 days before the first date of the performance.
If a licence application is received less than 21 days before the first date of the performance, the local authority may agree to process the application providing all relevant documents are correctly completed, legible and received at least ten working days prior to the performance date.
The local authority counts the day the application is received as one whole day (provided that it is a working day and that the application is received by 5pm). The date of the performance is not counted.
Working days are all days the Education Welfare Service is open for business - weekends and public holidays are not working days.
Apply for a permit
- Download the child performance licence application form (PDF) (.pdf, 278.9kB)
- Download the child performance licence application form (Word doc) (.doc, 47.6kB)