Fife Council responded to Willie Rennie's request to have school let fees waivered for school clubs. We unpick and highlight the contradictions....

Fife Council:
“There are many extra-curricular activities linked to Expressive Arts across our schools in Fife. School shows, directed and supported by Education staff are a highlight in the academic year.”

Children naturally have interests across a wide range of subjects. The purpose of extra-curricular clubs is to allow them to channel those interests into structured activities. While some opportunities can be provided within school, many children wish to explore their passions further with guidance from subject specialists. This is like saying there are no sport clubs at the school because PE is part of the school programme.

 
Fife Council:
“The drama club operated by Mix Up Theatre, is not an extra-curricular activity provided by Fife Council nor is it a club run by the school or deemed to be part of the curriculum for pupils at the school which it operates.”

Although not provided by Fife Council, this is an extra-curricular club offered by an external organisation for pupils at the school. Registration is facilitated through the school, and only children enrolled there can attend. This arrangement is consistent across other schools we work with.

 
Fife Council
“Fife council does not receive any profit from the operation of the club.”

The club is charged £50 per week by Fife Council for use of the school hall for two drama classes. Over 39 school weeks, this totals £1,950 annually — a cost borne by families whose children attend. If the club were offered free of charge to families, no fee would be levied by the Council.

This raises important questions:

• What exactly does the £1,950 cover?
• Why do other councils allow schools to approve external clubs without charging a let fee, while Fife does not?

In other councils, free lets are provided to reduce costs for families. Our fees are always agreed as fair and appropriate by school leadership teams, yet Fife’s policy places additional financial strain on families.

 
Fife Council:
“Education Services is not in the position to offer free lets in schools. If free lets were to be offered, other education provision and services would be affected as a result. School let charges are a nominal fee which is set by Fife Council. These charges are to cover administration and janitorial costs associated with allowing the let to operate. No profit is made from these charges.”

Janitorial costs should not apply when clubs run during school hours (lunchtime) or immediately after school (3–5pm). Furthermore, Education Services already provides free lets for clubs that are volunteer-led or free to families. Why then is a charge applied when a club operates at low cost?

If administration and janitorial costs exist regardless of whether a club is free or paid, what provision is truly being affected? The fee is not nominal — it has already led to the cancellation of a club because the cost became unaffordable for families.

 
Fife Council:
“It is also a condition of a school let that the following information is known and held by Fife Council for the club/organisation requesting the let:

• possession of current public liability insurance

• relevant, up to date, qualifications relating to the let activity

• relevant copyright licences for the activity under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

• relevant licences under the Children (Performance and Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2014

• completed and attached the Protection of Vulnerable Groups form (if required) • PAT testing certificates in place for electrical equipment

• appropriate risk assessments

• registration with the Care Inspectorate (for lets relating to childcare activities).”

A one-off administration cost to verify the necessary requirements would be reasonable, but an ongoing hourly fee is not. Each time we establish a new club, all necessary information is provided to the school leadership team.

Several listed requirements are irrelevant to a children’s drama club. For example:

• Copyright and performance licences apply to ticketed events or professional productions, not school-based clubs.
• Children’s performance licences relate to professional acting work requiring absence from school - not relevant to a school drama club.
• School activity clubs do not require registration with Care Inspectorate as it is not classed as childcare service.

Moreover, Fife Council has not requested this information from us, despite stating it is a condition of a school let. It is therefore inaccurate to claim that fees are required to cover these aspects.

 
Fife Council:
“Mix Up Theatre is not an extra-curricular club and should not have been operating within any of the Fife Schools without a school let. It is a commercial club operating within a school building.”

Mix Up Theatre has been delivering extra-curricular clubs in Scottish schools for over 10 years.

While not run by Fife Council, we provide affordable extra-curricular opportunities to pupils, as do many external providers across Scotland. Our clubs also operate in Edinburgh, Linlithgow, Dundee, and Angus.

Why then does Fife Council take a different approach? What benefit does this restriction provide to families and children? As a parent of a child in a Fife school, I am concerned that barriers are being placed on opportunities for pupils to participate in enriching activities.

This issue extends beyond Mix Up Theatre — it affects any external club wishing to operate in Fife schools. Before Covid, schools across Fife worked with external providers. Post-Covid, Active Schools Scotland took over sports clubs, but there remains scope for non-sport clubs to access schools.

 
Fife Council:
“Without the use of school lets, external clubs would not be able to operate within school buildings, as there is a cost to the Council. The Education Service cannot unilaterally change this policy regarding school lets.”

What specific cost is incurred by the Council? If a club is offered free to families, there is no charge. Yet if a club charges a small fee, the Council imposes costs of £1,950 annually.

If Education Services cannot change this policy, how can change be achieved? This complaint is precisely about the fairness of the school let policy.

 
Fife Council:
“There is no Scottish Government Policy on School Lets. Each Local Authority determines its fees each year. There is no need for Fife Education Services to change the policy regarding school lets.”

The issue is that Fife Council charges school lets for youth clubs provided by external organisations, even when they are designed for pupils within the school. Other councils do not impose these fees, keeping costs low for families.

There is a clear need for Fife Education Services to review its policy in line with the Scottish Government’s Cost of the School Day guidance, which encourages councils to reduce financial barriers for families.

School clubs should be accessible to all children, regardless of family income or postcode. Why should one council impose charges that others choose not to?