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Child performance licences

Children in entertainment may need a performance license.

Relevant activity includes TV, theatre, modelling, dance shows, pantomimes, music groups, and paid sport whether professional or amateur.

A licence will be needed:

for all children from birth to the end of compulsory education, which is the last Friday in June of the academic year they turn 16
if a fee is made in connection with a performance, which applies whether the performers are paid or not
if the performance happens at a licensed premises
if the performance is recorded for broadcast or exhibition, such as on TV, radio, or the internet

Children in entertainment are regulated under the Children Young Person Act 1933/63 and the Children (Performances and Activities) (Wales) Regulations 2015.

Exemptions

Some types of performance will not need a licence. Yet such exemptions only apply where no payment is made to or in respect of children participating in a performance, whoever takes the payment. They do not apply to paid sport, or paid modelling. The exemptions are where:

a school organises a performance
the child has performed for fewer than four days in the past six months, which is known as the four day rule
the organiser can apply for a Body of Persons Approval (BOPA).

Apply for a child's performance licence

To apply, please complete an online application form.

Child Performance and Activity Licence Application Form

Please return completed applications to:

Learner Support Services, Bridgend County Borough Council, Civic Offices, Angel Street, Bridgend, CF31 4WB

pupilservices@bridgend.gov.uk

Apply for a Body Of Persons Approval (BOPA)

In some cases, an organiser can apply for a Body Of Persons Approval (BOPA) from the local authority where their performance/s occur. A BOPA covers all children at once with no need for individual licences.

The key requirements are that:

children are not paid, and would not normally be expected to be
the organisation can show that it has robust and effective systems to safeguard children during rehearsals and performances

If a child needs time off school, this exemption does not apply, and an individual licence is required.

An authority can impose conditions that ensure children’s wellbeing, and may revoke approvals if these are not met.

Application Form for a Body of Persons Approval