Child performance licence: Sheffield
Sheffield City Council licenses children who live in Sheffield.At least 21 days before. Applications with 5 clear working days or less are refused.
Last checked 28 October 2026
- How to apply
- Email the application form for each child, or apply for a BOPA to cover them all.
- Notice for a licence
- At least 21 days before. Applications with 5 clear working days or less are refused.
- Using the 4-day rule
- You must ask Sheffield to approve the exemption (exemption authorisation form) before any child performs. They still need a chaperone or guardian.
- Body of Persons Approval
- BOPA application form on the council’s page.
From Sheffield City Council’s own website on 28 October 2026. Councils change their forms often, so follow their page if it differs.
Do your children need a licence at all?
Not if they’re unpaid, don’t miss school, and haven’t performed on more than 3 days in the 6 months before each show day (the 4-day rule), or if your show has a BOPA. Children who live outside Sheffield are licensed by their own council.
Sources
- Sheffield City Council: child performance licensing (checked 28 October 2026)
- The Children (Performances and Activities) (England) Regulations 2014 (checked 28 October 2026)
- Children and Young Persons Act 1963, section 37 (England, Wales and Scotland) (checked 28 October 2026)
Beginners Call is an information tool, not legal advice. It reads the law the way the Department for Education’s advice does, but your council makes the decision. If in doubt, ask them.
Want the full kit?
I’m deciding whether to build the rest: a cast list that tracks each child’s days across every show, a chaperone rota that won’t let you go over 12, and daily records on your phone. Leave your email and I’ll write once when it’s ready, or not at all if it isn’t built.