Edinburgh parents have warned the removal of funding for extracurricular activities in schools is having a "detrimental" impact on the health of pupils across the city.
More than half of the extracurricular clubs in Edinburgh's schools have not yet resumed since being suspended last March to help curb the spread of Covid-19, a report presented to the Education, Children and Families Committee on Tuesday revealed.
And parents have said a change in funding, designed to improve access for all pupils, had instead left pupils without access to after school clubs such as football, martial arts and dance groups.
While the clubs were suspended Edinburgh City Council re-designed its Active Schools programme in line with a national move towards free activities for all children and young people.
Previously, the average fee for parents was £13 per activity per term.
The policy to make activities more accessible for youngsters was introduced by Government agency sportscotland to "poverty proof the school day".
But a group of 15 parent councils have said "fundamental flaws" in the council's implementation have undermined the overall objective of the policy — with pupils paying the price.
They said the removal of parents' financial contributions towards after school clubs, as well as arts, culture and heritage activities, is yet to be replaced with sportscotland funding.
Parents said there have been offers of "start-up funding" from the agency but added this would only be done on a case by case basis.
They expressed "disappointment and frustration" at councillors in a joint letter read out at the committee.
Signed by parent council chairs from schools including Duddingston Primary, Boroughmuir High and Craiglockhart Primary, it read: "Parent councils recognise and support the aim of the policy to make opportunities for wider achievement accessible for all.
"However, it is clear that this objective has been undermined by fundamental flaws in implementation, including; the failure to carry out stakeholder consultation in advance, the absence of any economic or equality impact assessment, the lack of clarity and detail concerning administration and funding, and the lack of notice of the changes to the schools or to families.
"The absence of consultation or any meaningful communication has meant there has been little or no opportunity for adequate preparation for these changes.
"We are concerned that the new model for Active Schools, while intended to improve equity of access to extra-curricular activities, carries a risk of entrenching inequalities with individuals/school communities.
"The result of all of this is a significant reduction in sports provision, opportunities and participation.
"The changes are already happening and will continue to have a detrimental impact on the mental health and physical wellbeing of the majority of our city’s children."
They said in some cases parent councils have been made to foot the bill for activity provision and have faced an "excessive administrative burden".
"With funding now removed, and despite assertions to the contrary, in practice, it is parent councils or other parent bodies that have either found or been asked to find the immediate shortfall, which can be substantial."
The cohort urged the local authority to undertake an "immediate and extensive consultation" with parents, pupils, volunteer coaches, teachers and schools to build a new delivery model.
Addressing members, chair of Bruntsfield Primary's parent council Karen Galloway said getting back to pre-Covid levels would be "challenging" under the new policy.
She called for a "root and branch review" of the Active Schools programme in Edinburgh.
But the council's Education, Children and Families convenor Ian Perry said such a review would detract the committee from its commitment to return the programme to its pre-pandemic structure.
Cllr Perry added that councillors, officials and parents "all want to get to the same place".
"The difficulty is how we get there, given the complicated nature of what we're facing here in trying to get back to pre-Covid," he said.
"There's been a lot of criticism, some of it justified, some unjustified because I think the officers have been working hard - I don't think they are deliberately avoiding trying to do things. It is complicated."
