Issue - meetings

By Councillor Burgess – School Extra Curricular Activity

“This Committee:

1.    Notes the current Council practice to suspend all school extracurricular activities, including primary school football on public parks;

2.    Understands the decision is because of the concern about spreading covid19 virus and is intended to minimise contact between children or young people, and adults who are not teachers, and also to minimise the possible mixing of pupil year-group ‘bubbles’ during activities;

3.    However, notes the positive benefits of extracurricular activity on the overall health and well-being of children and young people and that many extracurricular activities take place outdoors, some conducted in public parks and that in many cases children take part in their established school bubble;

4.    Notes the relatively low risk of contagion during outdoor activity as reflected by Scottish Government guidance. Further notes that private sports have been permitted under Scottish Government regulations since August and that children who attend private schools or who are members of private clubs have been taking part in extracurricular sports while children attending council schools have not be able to do so;

5.    Believes that it would be possible to put in place guidance for groups undertaking at least certain extracurricular activities such as primary school football in public parks, in order to minimise the risk of contagion and allow activities to go ahead;

6.    Therefore, requests that the current position on school extracurricular activity be reviewed in time for the return to school after the October holiday, with appropriate guidance issued to schools and school sports clubs about which extracurricular activities may be carried out and in what way, with a briefing note on this review circulated to committee members.”