Management Information Sheet

Licensing Act 2003

REGULATED ENTERTAINMENT

The following advice has been issued by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.

The majority of schools will not need a licence under this Act

The reason for this is that if regulated entertainment (as defined below) is only performed before parents or relatives a licence will not be required. This will cover occasions such as the school play at Christmas, school concerts etc.

The other good news is that if the school does require a licence, they are free, (but you will need to advertise the application for a licence upon the premises, and in the local paper at a cost of approximately £250) provided that the regulated entertainment is carried out by the education institution involved for and on behalf for the purposes of the educational institution.

If the premises are hired out frequently to other organisations the school premises will need to be licensed. The fee for the licence will be based on the rateable value of the school. It is likely that the fee will therefore be in the top band for such licences being £630 in the first year and £350 in subsequent years.

However, should the school only hire out its facilities on 12 occasions per year for a maximum in total of 15 days, these occasions can be covered by applications for Temporary Event Notices (TEN's). These applications are made to the Local District Council in which area the school is situated. They cost £21 per TEN and each of these allows both the sale of alcohol and regulated entertainment for the length of the TEN which will usually be a single day.

Provision of Regulated Entertainment (to an audience)

1. plays
2. films
3. indoor sporting events
4. boxing or wrestling entertainment
5. live music
6. recorded music (not background music)
7. performances of dance
8. anything of a similar description to that falling within (e), (f) or (g)
   
   Provision of Entertainment Facilities
   
   
9. making music
10. dancing
11. entertainment of a similar description to that filling within (i) or (j)

Provision of Alcohol

Should a school require a licence to sell alcohol on more than 12 occasions per year, it will need to apply for a premises licence, this will also cover regulated entertainment to events when the premises are hired out.

In addition to the cost of the licence being as stated above there also needs to be a person who is authorised to sell the alcohol. This will require somebody to be trained at an approximate cost of £130, you should then apply for the appropriate licence from your local District Council at a cost of £37, this personal licence will last for 10 years.

However, as with regulated entertainment, should a school only wish to sell alcohol on 12 occasions over a period of a maximum of 15 days in a year it can apply for a TEN to carry this out.

A Premises Licence or a TEN

Each school will need to make a judgement as to whether it is preferable to work under a premises licence (with the annual cost) or to use TEN's. Whilst TEN's are restricted to 12 events a year, they will not require anybody to be trained. Nevertheless the person who applies for the TEN would be responsible for any breach of the legislation, for example, the sale of alcohol to children under the age of 18.

Should you have any queries, please contact Michael Joyce on 01603 222582 or e-mail michael.joyce@norfolk.gov.uk.