Scope: This guide is for new and recently approved chaperones in England, and for production colleagues who work alongside them. It covers children working under an individual performance or activity licence. Different licence routes, and the rules in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, need their own checks. This is general information, not legal advice.
A common first question after approval is: how many children can I actually look after? The honest answer is: it depends, but the law gives you the starting point, and so does your council, and so does the child’s licence. Here is how to work out the number that applies to you.
The legal starting point
In England, the number comes from regulation 15 of the Children (Performances and Activities) (England) Regulations 2014. It says an approved chaperone is there to have care and control of the child, and to safeguard, support and promote the child’s wellbeing while the child takes part in the licensed activity, performance or rehearsal, or stays somewhere else during the licence period.
The same regulation sets a maximum: twelve children at any one time. If you are also the private teacher of the child in question, that maximum drops to three.
Those two figures are legal ceilings, not targets or safe defaults. The regulation also says your licensing authority must not approve you unless it is satisfied you are suitable and competent for the child, and that your duties towards other children will not stop you from giving proper care. Approval is never a blank cheque for twelve.
Councils can set a lower number
Your approving council may decide that fewer than twelve is appropriate. Surrey County Council, for example, says a chaperone may supervise up to 12 children at a time, but it can reduce that number for reasons including the children’s ages or the demands of the performance.
This is local practice, not England-wide law. Your own approving authority’s instructions and any licence conditions may set a stricter limit. If no one has told you a number, ask rather than assuming twelve.
Who counts towards the number
The regulation talks about the number at any one time. That means the children actually in your care at that moment, not a running total for the day. If the group is split between two chaperones, each chaperone has their own group, but the split needs to be clear and workable. If a child moves between groups, clarify who has care at that moment and include them in that chaperone’s current count.
Check with the licence holder how the groups are divided and who answers for each child at each point. It helps to agree this at the start of the day rather than discovering mid-rehearsal that everyone assumed someone else was counting.
When a parent or a teacher is there
The same regulation contains an exception: its chaperone provision does not apply while the child is being cared for by a parent or by the teacher who would ordinarily provide the child’s education. Confirm who is providing direct supervision rather than assuming the exception applies.
A parent being in the building is not the same as caring for the child. Department for Education advice for England says a licensed child should be supervised at all times while taking part in the covered performance or activity, or while staying in associated accommodation, and it describes the exception as direct supervision by a parent or a teacher from the child’s school. If a parent is on site but busy with another child or on a phone call, agree who has care and control before anyone assumes it. Our guide to care and control covers this in more detail.
What about a body of persons approval?
This guide is about children working under an individual licence. The rules can differ under other arrangements. The Department for Education’s advice notes that where a performance is covered by a body of persons approval, or BOPA for short, the legislation does not require the child to be supervised by a chaperone approved by the local authority.
If a production tells you a job is covered by a BOPA, do not assume the twelve and three figures apply. Ask what supervision arrangement the production and their licensing authority have agreed. Our England licence guide explains the different routes in more depth.
What to check before you take a group
- Read the child’s licence and any conditions. They may affect the supervision arrangements or set a lower number.
- Ask your approving council what applies to you. Local guidance or licence conditions may apply a stricter limit, but cannot raise the legal ceiling.
- Agree the group split. Know which children are in your care at each stage and who answers for them.
- Confirm direct supervision during breaks and transitions. Children move between holding area, stage, dressing room, toilets and education space, and each move needs a named adult.
- Raise concerns early. If a day’s plan leaves you caring for more children than you can safely cover, say so before the child starts work, not after.
Where to check the official rules
Regulation 15 is on legislation.gov.uk. The Department for Education’s licensing advice for England gives the wider picture. It was published in 2015, says it has no statutory force and still appears on GOV.UK, so the regulation remains the legal source. For local practice, follow your own council’s current guidance. If you are still applying, our guide to becoming an approved chaperone in England walks through the process, and if you hold both chaperone and teaching roles, this guide to working as a chaperone and private teacher explains how they interact.
Chaperone Collective is peer support and signposting, not legal advice or a substitute for your council’s instructions. When in doubt, check with the licence holder and your approving authority.