Thinking of taking on under-18s this summer? Know the rules, and what's about to change.
- HRNews
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
What is it?
The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026 and changes the rules on children's working hours, amending the Children and Young Persons Act 1933. With the summer holidays approaching and businesses often taking on younger staff, it's worth being clear on both the rules that apply right now and the changes coming down the line.
Two groups to keep separate. "Children" are under school leaving age (you can usually employ from 14, or 13 in some council areas for limited work). "Young workers" are over school leaving age but under 18. School leaving age is the last Friday in June of the year they turn 16, and in England they must stay in education or training until they're 18.
What does it mean for you?
For children under school leaving age, strict limits apply, and these are the rules that still govern this summer:
Light work only. No factories or industrial sites, no gambling, and they can't sell alcohol.
A 7am to 7pm window. Never during school hours, and no more than one hour before school on a school day.
Term time: maximum 12 hours a week, 2 hours on school days and Sundays, 5 hours on Saturdays for 13 and 14 year olds, 8 hours for 15 and 16 year olds.
School holidays: 13 and 14 year olds up to 5 hours a day and 25 hours a week; 15 and 16 year olds up to 8 hours a day and 35 hours a week.
A one-hour break after four hours' work, and two consecutive weeks off work each year.
Most councils require a child employment permit, and local byelaws can add restrictions, so check with the council's child employment team before you start.
Children under school leaving age aren't covered by the minimum wage, but pay should still be fair and agreed.
For young workers (over school leaving age, under 18): the minimum wage applies at the youngest band, along with 5.6 weeks' annual leave, a 30-minute break for shifts over 4.5 hours, 12 hours' daily rest and 48 hours' weekly rest. They can do a wider range of work, but complete a health and safety risk assessment that accounts for their age and inexperience.
What's changing, but not yet: the Act will extend the window to 7am to 8pm, limit pre-school work to one hour, remove the two-hour Sunday cap, and make a local-authority child employment permit a formal requirement. No commencement date has been announced, so for this summer you follow the current rules above, not the new ones.
How Lansbury HR can help
We can check whether a role counts as light work, set compliant hours and breaks, sort the permit and byelaw position with the local council, get pay and risk assessments right, and tell you when the new rules actually take effect so you're ready without jumping the gun.
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