Play England

Freedom to play

For England to be a child-friendly country where all children and young people have freedom to play at home, at school, in parks and public spaces.

  • All children and young people have freedom — time, space, permission and opportunity — to play

  • All children and young people can regularly play indoors and outdoors

  • Everyone is aware of the importance of play

Trends in Children's Street Play


This report provides an overview of results from the PlayDay 2022 survey, conducted by Play England in partnership with Save the Children. The survey questions aligned with a previous survey conducted by Play England in 2013. 

The report shows how children regularly playing out in their street has declined dramatically over the past 70+ years. Importantly it also demonstrates that regularly playing out is associated with better wellbeing during childhood, as well as better mental health into adulthood. The survey results show that children want to spend more time in the area where they live, and that the proportion of children saying this has increased significantly since the 2013 survey was conducted.

Overall, the report presents a dire picture of declining outdoor play close to home and a society where parents are made to worry about their children making noise outside in case it upsets the neighbours. Children want to spend more time in their local area but are frequently being given the message that they, and their play, are not welcome.

Downloadable Info Sheets

Information Sheet 1:

Recruitment and Retention

Information Sheet 2:

Children’s Mental Health and Play

Information Sheet 3:

IT tips and tricks

Latest News

 

You Can Help Us Support Every Child’s Right To Play

Play is an essential part of every child’s life and is vital for the enjoyment of childhood as well as social, emotional, intellectual and physical development.

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Join the campaign!

We need your support to make positive change. Aligning your company with Play England will enable our charity to champion & fight for children’s access to play.

It will showcase your brand’s belief in the importance of children’s play. Your investment will be recognised on a national level, evidencing social value to a wide and varied audience.

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