Councils charging for after-school activities which should be free, report warns
Reform Scotland said the Active Schools scheme should be free to disadvantaged pupils.
A think-tank has claimed some councils are charging for an after-school programme which the national organising body has said should have "no cost to parents''.
Reform Scotland said the Active Schools scheme should be free to disadvantaged pupils and called on the Scottish Government to use funding aimed at closing the gap in achievement between poorer children and their richer peers to make up the cost.
The Active Schools programme of after-school activities is carried out in partnership between Scotland's local authorities and the country's national sports agency sportscotland.
Reform Scotland's research paper, After school activities: Another opportunity gap, found some local authorities such as Angus, East Ayrshire, Falkirk and Glasgow do not charge for the scheme while others have a fee of up to £48 per activity per term.
The report states sportscotland told Reform Scotland it funds local authorities to provide Active Schools and its policy guidance is activities should have "no cost to parents''.
Reform Scotland advisory board member Keir Bloomer said: "Evidence suggests that attendance in after-school activities is associated with positive academic and social outcomes for disadvantaged children in particular.
"As a result, Reform Scotland believes that the Scottish Government should consider using some of the budget it has created for closing the attainment gap to ensure disadvantaged pupils have access to free after-school activities. The Active Schools programme offers an easy way of delivering this policy.
"While it is up to local authorities and their leisure trusts to decide and justify their own charging schemes for Active Schools, we hope that they will explain their decision to parents. Even with a nominal fee of £1-2 per week, this can be prohibitive to a struggling family with a couple of children wanting to participate in a couple of activities.
"Ideally, we would want all children to be given an equal opportunity, but as a first step we are calling for all children in receipt of free school meals to also be in receipt of free Active Schools programmes instead of being subject to a postcode lottery as they are at present.''