education is compulsory

Jobs/Working Environment

A child under the school leaving age may only be employed to do ‘light work’. This is:

work which on account of the inherent nature of the tasks which it involves and the particular conditions under which they are performed is not likely to be harmful to the health, safety or development of children and is not such as to be harmful to their attendance at school or to their participation in work experience, or their capacity to benefit from the instruction received or the experience gained.

In the context of newspaper delivery the National Federation of Retail Newsagents have issued safety guidelines for news deliverers which recommends a maximum weight of 9kg (20 lbs) for young people.

There are some jobs and working environments where young people may not be employed.

Jobs Not Allowed

Again however it is important to check the byelaws made by the local authority where the employment is to take place as there are variations among authorities. For example, some authorities’ byelaws may allow agricultural or horticultural work without restriction. Other authorities’ byelaws may allow light agricultural or horticultural work on an occasional basis under the direct supervision of the child’s parent. (NB: some LAs have old byelaws that still allow a child aged 10 or over on an occasional basis in light agricultural or horticultural work under the direct supervision of the child’s parent but a change in the law in 2000 means that DCSF believes any work of any child under 13 - save the exceptions mentioned below - is illegal).