From Report to Movement: One Year On from Everything to Play For

One year ago, on the International Day of Play, the Raising the Nation Play Commission published its final report, Everything to Play For: A Plan to Ensure Every Child in England Can Play. It is HERE.

When we launched the report in June 2025, our ambition was simple: to put play back on the national agenda. 

We argued that play is not an optional extra in childhood. It is fundamental to children’s health, wellbeing, development, learning and happiness. We made ten recommendations organised around three themes: stronger political leadership, cultural change and a rights-based approach to play. 

A year later, not all ten recommendations have been implemented. Yet.

But perhaps that is not the most important story. 

The most important story is that play has moved from the margins towards the mainstream. 

And in doing so, a report has helped become part of a movement. 

Over the past twelve months, we have seen growing recognition that childhood itself deserves greater attention. Across government, Parliament, local authorities and civil society there is increasing concern about children’s wellbeing, mental health, physical activity, independence, loneliness and screen use. The Culture, Media and Sport Committee held a one-off inquiry into play, while this January an e-Petition relating to play in the key stage 1 curriculum led to a debate on the subject, showing the depth of public concern. The Play Commission argued that play sits at the heart of all these issues. 

Increasingly, others are reaching the same conclusion. 

The clearest example is the Government’s decision to establish a digital age of consent of 16. One year ago, our recommendation to better protect childhood from the harms associated with excessive social media use was regarded by some as ambitious. Today, literally today!, it has become government policy. 

Similarly, the Government’s guidance supporting phone-free schools reflects another principle that sat behind our work: childhood should be shaped more by real-world experiences, relationships and play than by screens and algorithms. 

The issue has never been technology itself. It has always been childhood. 

How do we ensure children have the time, space and freedom to connect, explore, imagine, create and play? 

Elsewhere, we have seen encouraging signs of progress. 

The Government’s investment in playgrounds and play spaces through its Pride in Place programme recognises that high-quality places to play matter. Family Hubs, Breakfast clubs, youth services and wider reforms designed to support children and families all point towards a greater recognition that childhood is a national priority, as does new Family Hubs guidance which places play at its heart, making clear that families should expect Stay and Play sessions and embedded play support, and recognising play as essential to healthy development rather than a ‘nice to have’. 

The Play Commission argued that play could be the thread that joins these initiatives together. 

I believe that argument is becoming stronger with every passing month. 

Beyond Whitehall, momentum has been building too. 

The establishment of the APPG on Play has given Parliament a stronger voice for children’s play. The revitalisation of Play England has provided renewed national leadership for the sector. The London Assembly has highlighted the importance of children’s access to play and called for greater action across the capital. Local authorities such as Wirral have begun exploring rights-based approaches that reflect many of the principles championed by the Commission. 

At the same time, campaigns to remove unnecessary “No Ball Games” signs have gained national attention, helping challenge the idea that children are a problem to be managed rather than citizens with a right to belong in public space. 

None of these developments happened because of the Play Commission alone. 

And that is precisely the point. 

Social change rarely happens because of a single report, organisation or individual.

Instead, it begins with ripples. 

Over the past year, many people and organisations have created them. 

Play England has created ripples. 

Playing Out has created ripples. 

London Play has created ripples. 

Parents, campaigners, researchers, practitioners and local leaders have created ripples.

Bereaved families campaigning for stronger protections around social media have created ripples. 

A new generation of parliamentarians prepared to speak up for children has created ripples. 

And children and young people themselves continue to create ripples every day through their own voices and experiences. 

Taken individually, each ripple might seem small. 

Taken together, they are becoming a wave. 

Since publishing Everything to Play For, we have sought to play our part in that wider movement. We have engaged ministers, civil servants and parliamentarians. We have worked to raise awareness of the evidence on play. We have supported new initiatives, including emerging work around Playful Places, to explore how entire communities can become places that naturally enable children to play. 

But perhaps the most encouraging development has been seeing how many others have picked up the cause. 

One year ago, conversations about play were often confined to the play sector. 

Today they are happening in Parliament, in local government, in schools, in health settings and across the media. That represents real progress. 

Of course, there is still much more to do. 

England still needs a National Play Strategy. 

We still need stronger leadership across government. 

We still need to embed children’s right to play more firmly in law, policy and practice. 

Yet anniversaries should be moments for reflection as well as renewed determination. 

One year on from Everything to Play For, I am more optimistic than I was when we launched it. 

Not because every recommendation has been adopted. But because a growing number of people now understand what is at stake. 

The title of our report was deliberately hopeful. Everything to Play For. 

A year later, I believe that remains true. And for the first time in many years, it feels as though the country is beginning to play for it.