Anyone visiting schools could be subject to police checks

Anyone working or meeting regularly in a school or college may be legally obliged to have a disclosure check.

It had been thought checks were only required for those with childcare jobs.

Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop said the wider checks were never the intention of the new laws and the legislation may have to be amended.

The Scottish Parent Teacher Council (SPTC) said the new advice would stop many community groups using school premises.

It's crucial that we bridge the gap between the policy intention and the legal position Fiona Hyslop Education Secretary

Judith Gillespie, of the SPTC, who has been a long-term campaigner to make the disclosure system less restrictive, said: "You can forget about community use of schools."

Ms Hyslop said: "The Protection of Children (Scotland) Act was designed to prevent unsuitable people being able to work with children through their paid work or volunteering.

"The legislation was never intended to prevent parent councils meeting in schools in the evening or to impact on the use of schools out-of-hours by adults not working with children."

She added: "It's crucial that we bridge the gap between the policy intention and the legal position. That's why we are moving swiftly to take steps to remedy this, including secondary legislation if necessary."