Make play a statutory duty, urges charity

A plan to “make play normal” again – including a call for play to become a statutory duty – has been launched in Westminster. Charity Play England’s 10-year strategy aims to reverse “phone-based childhoods” and wants to see planners redesigning cities for children, with the aim of getting them all playing again by 2035. The organisation has also partnered with Tom Hays MP to form the first All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Play. The charity’s report, ‘It All Starts with Play!’ adds to separate calls made in February by the Raising the Nation Play Commission for government to develop a national play strategy. The commission’s ‘State of Play’ interim report highlighted a squeeze on the activity – particularly in deprived areas. Play England’s plan is based around four interconnected priorities forming a ‘STAR framework’, which stands for “space, time, acceptance and rights”. Read more.