Child’s play is a public health issue, so why is England so far behind? Harriet Saddington reports on the developers and professionals fighting to put play sufficiency into practice, policy and places

Great article here from Harriet Saddington of the Developer magazine on #PlaySufficiency, play as a matter of #SpatialJustice for children, and how we need an English #PlayStrategy
www.thedeveloper.live/opinion/chil...

Our speech and language and early years strategy and services have always had play at their heart.

We’re always happy to champion play as part of healthy child development, and help make real change for childhoods. #EverythingToPlayFor #NationalPlayStrategy #PlaySufficiency #ItAllStartsWithPlay

We've contacted our MPs to support the #PlaySufficiency Amendment 👇

Whilst only applicable in England, it highlights the absence of Play Sufficiency within NI's planning system & the growing consensus that #play is a necessity.

We urge our MPs to champion the #RightToPlay!

A Clause for Celebration The New Dawn light sculpture at the entrance of St. Steven's Hall celebrating women's right to vote In evidence submitted to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill Committee at the end of April this year, Play England put forward a comprehensive case to introduce a new clause to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill 2025 that would require local authorities in England to secure sufficient play opportunities for children - effectively creating a…

Clause for Celebration 🛝

Tom Hayes MP tables amendment NC82, bringing England closer to a Play Sufficiency Duty! 🎉

⚡ 48 MPs backing
⚡ Protect play spaces
⚡ Securing the right to play

Find your MP & take action! 👉 WriteToThem.com

#PlaySufficiency #NC8

Make space to play | East Lothian Play Association

New: Making Space to Play
Our new page shares our ideas & work on engaging with children and communities to make space for play. Healthy, nurturing places to play are vital to children’s health, development & happiness. Read on
#ListenToChildren #PlaySufficiency
elpa.org.uk/make-space-t...

You can now watch all four webinars from our series #ExploringPlaySufficiency here - an introduction, then 3 webinars looking at #PlaySufficiency at national, local and neighbourhood levels. Curated by me with Ludicology, with support from @playwales.bsky.social
www.youtube.com/@ExploringPl...

We're excited to share our story of engagement with children and the influence they have had on the development of local play spaces. Our aim is that disabled children shouldn't just have one space to play, but should have choices of places and opportunities across the county. #PlaySufficiency

The recording of our 3rd #ExploringPlaySufficiency webinar is now available, looking at #PlaySufficiency at local government level, with 4 excellent speakers.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eMR...
The 4th and final webinar will look at #PlaySufficiency at neighbourhood level. Book here: shorturl.at/ZKWrN

Flyer promoting a free webinar exploring play sufficiency at local authority level. Picture is of a white child climbing a tree.

Today! Last chance to book on the 3rd webinar in our series, with 4 fab speakers from GB LAs (Leeds, Glasgow, Sandwell and Wrexham) talking about their experiences of #PlaySufficiency.
Curated by mysellf and Ludicology
Book: play.wales/events/
Recordings of Webinars 1 & 2: lnkd.in/eFmQ_S8B

The recording from our 2nd webinar, on #PlaySufficiency at national level, is now available
www.youtube.com/watch?v=63Hj...
The 3rd webinar is on 1 April, 12:30-14:00 GMT. Book here:
play.wales/play-wales-e...

Fishing rods and kit lined up along a fence on front of the Tyne at Jarrow

Three young lads fishing on the Tyne at Jarrow

Gerard from Tyneside Outdoors helping a lad reel in

Nothing much caught but a crab and some seaweed

Fishing on the Tyne at Jarrow today, an event organised as part of our #playsufficiency project by partners Tyneside Outdoors. Over 25 children and young people trying out, or honing, fishing skills, whilst being outdoors, chatting, running about, watching the river & more. Nowt but seaweed caught.

Inquiry Report Calls On The Government To Restore School Playtime Amid Warning That Play Is Being Squeezed Out Of Children’s Lives — Play Commission The Raising the Nation Play Commission, a year-long independent inquiry into why play is critical to the wellbeing of children in England, publishes its Interim Report, ‘State of Play’. The Commission...

Good to see this interim report from the Play Commission calling for a national play strategy and recommending legislating for more time for play in schools and for a #PlaySufficiency Duty. Looking forward to attending the launch later today.
www.centreforyounglives.org.uk/news-centre/...

An incredibly sad - but spacious - playground on Sunderland Road, Gateshead.

Play Area info, forbidding ball games - despite the huge amount of space available

On my way back from a (very thought-provoking) NE Combined Authority child poverty roundtable, at which I was hoping to get play and poverty on the table, I cycled past this.

Who would want to play here? Especially with the #noballgames notice?

#playsufficiency #playpoverty

Promotional flyer for the 2nd webinar on Play Sufficiency

Webinar 2 of 4: #PlaySufficiency at national level, 25 Feb 12.30-2pm GMT. Speakers listed in the thrread below. To book your free place, go to play.wales/events/

Great to hear Anne Longfield CBE advocating for a play strategy and for play sufficiency when giving evidence to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill. Creating the conditions for children to play would be a huge step towards supporting children to be and do well.
#PlaySufficiency

Protecting and Improving Children’s Opportunities for Play: A Call to Action for Public Health Change, the Labour Party Manifesto 2024 pledged to create 'the healthiest generation of children in our history'. Plans include cutting paediatric waiting times, improving access to arts music and spo...

Great article from Ludicology on play as a public health priority. The article talks about the principle of #PlaySufficiency. If this concept interests you, do join one or all of our series of four webinars. Closing date for webinar 1 is 14 Jan!
play.wales/events/
www.linkedin.com/pulse/protec...

These webinars next year on #PlaySufficiency with Wendy and Ben & Mike from Ludicology look wonderful - a great opportunity to learn more about "play sufficiency" and how the approach can help make places better - and more just - for children and their play and mobility, at a variety of scales.

We're so excited about this series of 4 webinars on #PlaySufficiency brought to you by myself (glos.ac.uk/social) and Ben & Mike from Ludicology, supported by Play Wales. All 12.30-2 GMT.
1. 21/1/25
2. 25/2/25
3. 1/4/25
4. 13/5/25
More details and bookings here: play.wales/events/
#SpatialJustice

Examples of Play Sufficiency - Play Wales Examples of actions taken locally – by local authorities and their partners – to support children’s play, as part of play sufficiency work. Each example aims to show the unique contexts, processes and...

Wondering how to *do* #PlaySufficiency? Play Wales have published these 'report cards' with examples of actions to support children's play, showing the unique contexts, processes and people invovled. #SpatialJustice #RightToPlay
play.wales/publications...

The Place Standard tool: facilitator's resource - Play Scotland

The Place Standard Tool for young people, developed by Play Scotland is available at www.playscotland.org/resources/th... #EduSky #playsufficiency

Thanks. I’ve been trying to keep track of what’s going on across the country. I’m currently working with a group of play/youth workers and researchers on a very small #playsufficiency project in Jarrow, to explore ideas and practice.

Play Sufficiency Assessments - Play Scotland What we did Worked with the Scottish Government to produce a child-friendly version...

You might be interested in the work of Play Scotland around #PlaySufficiency You can find out more at www.playscotland.org/policy/legal...

As I was pulling together my #urbanplay feed, I spotted this #PlaySufficiency assessment from Glasgow - well worth a browse for ideas about documenting play and its place in a city:

A screenshot of a slide about Leeds’ play sufficiency priorities: Play Sufficiency Priorities 1: Facilitate the cross-service endorsement of Play Sufficiency and embed key principles within Leeds City Council departments. 2: Celebrate and enable parents and carers permissions, confidences and skills for play. 3: Grow a play workforce of adults whose work directly and indirectly impacts upon children and their play. 4: Facilitate sufficient time, space and attitudes towards play in educational settings. 5: Enable sufficient time, space, design and attitudes to play for children with protected characteristics. 6: Create streets that are safe, welcoming and encourage children's play. 7: Improve the variety of spaces available for play for all age groups within close proximity of children's homes (including informal and designated spaces). 8: Improve access to nature-based play environments. 9: Improve the perception of teenagers and improving their opportunities to play and hang out

Listening to Leeds City Council folk talking about their amazing work around #PlaySufficiency at a Play England event. This is undoubtedly a result of some brilliant people & partnerships but they’re also underlining the critical important of **political & strategic commitment at the highest level**

Play England (not yet here) are running a webinar on #PlaySufficiency on 7th Nov, with folk from Leeds City Council talking about their work, leading the way for English local authorities:

events.teams.microsoft.com/event/b88715...