Paid work

The two main things to remember are that children under 13 can not work at all and that no school age person can work during school hours, except in the entertainment and modelling industries and even then all work during school hours must be authorised by the school. Regardless of the bye-laws no school age child can work at all if it seems that their school work is suffering as a result of it. 

The sort of work and the hours that can be worked alter as a young person gets older but the regulations apply until after the last Friday in June in the year that they reach 16. 

Public performances by children including their involvement in paid modelling work or paid sport are controlled by law and a licence is needed to enable a child to take part. Applications for licences must be made to the County Education Office at Matlock at least 21 days before the first performance or activity. A performance licence application form is available below.

Are there any exceptions? 

The main exception to these laws is when a school organises work experience as part of a young person’s education. Although some types of work still cannot be done, approved work can be done during normal school hours. The other difference is that the work experience is unpaid.