Play Commission Report – Everything to Play For: A National Wake-Up Call on Play
The Raising the Nation Play Commission’s final report calls for a new National Play Strategy, legal protections, and systemic investment — echoing Play England’s long-standing advocacy.
On the International Day of Play, the Raising the Nation Play Commission has published its final report – Everything to Play For: A Plan to Ensure Every Child in England Can Play. It sets out a compelling and urgent case for placing play back at the heart of public policy — and childhood itself. This is not just another policy report — it is a call to arms, and a moment of reckoning for a country that has increasingly sidelined its children’s need to play.
The report doesn’t just diagnose the problem — it offers a practical, evidence-informed roadmap for systemic recovery. It proposes a new, cross-departmental National Play Strategy, led by a Minister for Play and backed by a £125 million annual investment fund, sourced through mechanisms such as the sugar levy and unspent developer contributions. It puts forward bold measures to address the digital displacement of play — including banning smartphones in schools, raising the digital age of consent to 16, and regulating addictive app features targeted at children. It also calls for a national ban on ‘No Ball Games’ signs, the restoration of play within the school day, and planning reforms to make play an expected and essential feature of every neighbourhood. This is a joined-up framework to embed play as a public good — not a policy afterthought.
👉 Download the full report: Everything to Play For – Raising the Nation Play Commission
Play England at the Heart of the Commission
At Play England, we fully support the report and its recommendations — which echo the core proposals we set out in our 2024 manifesto, including:
A new National Play Strategy for England
A statutory Play Sufficiency duty for local authorities
A £125 million annual investment in play – equivalent to the 2008 National Play Strategy, adjusted for inflation
These are not abstract demands. They are practical, evidence-based measures that would give every child the time, space, freedom, and opportunity to play — and help reverse rising childhood inactivity, poor mental health, school disengagement, and social isolation.
We are proud to have played a direct role in shaping the Commission’s work. Our Executive Director, Eugene Minogue, and Board member, Professor Helen Dodd, served as Commissioners — bringing strategic, policy and academic leadership to the inquiry. Their contributions helped ensure the report reflects not just the research evidence, but also the practical realities facing families, schools, councils and communities today.
Their influence is visible in the Commission’s call for national leadership, legislative change, and cultural renewal — and in its recognition that play must be embedded across planning, education, health, housing and public life. This is a report grounded in real systems — and in the rights of children that must now be acted on.
Thanks, and Gratitude to the Leaders Behind the Commission
We extend our sincere thanks to Paul Lindley OBE, Chair of the Play Commission and Baroness Anne Longfield and colleagues from the Centre of Young Lives, for their powerful, values-led leadership throughout this inquiry. They have created not just a report, but a blueprint for transformation — placing play back on the national policy agenda with clarity and urgency.
A Strategy Whose Time Has Come
The Commission’s recommendations don’t stand in isolation. They align directly with our new 10-year strategy: It All Starts with Play! (2025–2035) — and our objective to restore a play-based childhood in England for all children by 2035.
Together, Everything to Play For and It All Starts with Play! offer a clear and credible route map: from fragmented and underfunded provision to a coherent national system that protects, promotes, and plans for play — in law, in policy, and in everyday life.
A Historic Opportunity
This report marks a historic opportunity. For the first time in over 17 years, there is broad, cross-sector consensus that play must be prioritised in national policy — not as a ‘nice to have’, but as a cornerstone of healthy childhoods, thriving communities, and a fairer society.
The message is clear: play is not a luxury. It is essential to learning, wellbeing, development and belonging — and must be treated as such in the decisions that shape children’s lives.
We urge the Government to act on the recommendations — and to do so without delay.
This moment builds on growing political momentum, including the establishment of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Play, where Play England plays a leading role.
Join Us
We call on parents, educators, planners, designers, politicians, and play champions across the country to stand with us. Read the report. Share it. Use it to push for change in your community. This is a once-in-a-generation moment to secure a play-positive future for all children.
Take Action
📄 Read and share the final report: Everything to Play For
🧭 Explore our new 10-year strategy: It All Starts with Play!
🗳 Back the campaign for a new National Play Strategy and Play Sufficiency legislation
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