---
title: "Children Act 1972"
id: a17bcfde-5113-4db0-9406-7e68a008393c
authority: uk
place: "United Kingdom"
applies_also_from: []
kind: statute
in_force: true
publisher_url: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1972/44
attribution: "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
solon_url: https://solon.orangecat.ch/law/a17bcfde-5113-4db0-9406-7e68a008393c
language: en
in_force_from: 1998-08-04
date_basis: publisher
status: consolidated
source_url: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1972/44/data.xml
read_on: 2026-11-08
sha256: e5e93892ad8fdcebe2e79eaedc50015a10a800462f257372d6d8ab1f72dd69e7
provisions: 4
---

# Children Act 1972

## Title and introductory text {#prelims}

Children Act 1972
1972 c.44
An Act to secure that the minimum age at which children may be employed is not affected by any further change in the school-leaving age.
[27th July 1972]

## 1 Minimum age of employment. {#section-1}

(1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(2) Accordingly in each of those sections for subsection (1)(a) there shall be substituted the paragraph—
(a) so long as he is under the age of thirteen years
;
and in subsection (2) (which allows the general rules in subsection (1) to be modified by local authority bye-laws) for paragraph (a)(i) there shall be substituted the sub-paragraph—
(i) the employment of children under the age of thirteen years (notwithstanding anything in paragraph (a) of the last foregoing subsection) by their parents or guardians in light agricultural or horticultural work
.

## 2 Short title, repeal and extent. {#section-2}

(1) This Act may be cited as the Children Act 1972.
(2) The enactments mentioned in the Schedule to this Act are hereby repealed to the extent specified in column 3 of the Schedule.
(3) Nothing in this Act extends to Northern Ireland.

## SCHEDULE Enactments Repealed. {#schedule}