I suspect that most complaints re PRS are to do with aggressive tactics rather than charges per se. The approaches to small businesses and such are frightening with the implication of costly court cases. Even Kwik Fit folded - their licence is required because the customer or other members of staff might overhear a personal radio playing. What a nonsense.

As to the OP I can see that the school in question should pay for performance of music once the children have learned the dance: the learning and rehearsal time is incidental to that performance and is hardly a public performance in itself.

In the case of a session, if one item is copyright and the rest aren't surely it makes no sense to fine the traditional players on the basis that someone had played a copyright number. Let's fine all drivers because some of them might exceed the speed limit.

There should be a PRS. It should be regulated. Fair use policies should be entrenched in the legislation. All of course IMHO.

I do believe that the copyright term is excessive - compare it with patent rights which last a fraction of the time if intellectual copyright, and represent often a much larger investment of time effort and money.

Stu