No fee for sport scheme

Live Active Leisure has moved to clarify that a key part of its provision to schools is cost-free.

Last week, campaign group Reform Scotland issued a list of local authorities and areas where some Active Schools arrangements, paid for with support from SportScotland, incurs charges.

Some of this provision is after-school and parents and carers are expected to pay either per session or per year for their child to attend sports events such as swimming and running.

But Live Active Leisure says it does not charge during term-time, with a minimal cost for some services during holiday periods.

Reform Scotland was promoting its belief that sports, including extracurricular, should be free along similar lines to the free school meals provision for primaries one to three.

Its study found that even within local authorities some schools charged for some activities, while at others the same provision was free.

Reform Scotland’s table of charges per local authority left out Perth and Kinross, so the Perthshire Advertiser asked what arrangements are in place.

A spokesperson for LAL said:“We do not charge for any term-time offering as part of Active Schools. During 2015-16 we had 842 volunteers helping to deliver the Active Schools provision working through our Active Schools coordinators. Some are parents and carers, some are teachers or work with LAL.

“During holiday periods there are sometimes charges for our sports provision, but these are kept to a minimum and are in place to ensure costs are covered.”