What We Do
Play England’s vision is for England to be a country where everybody can fully enjoy their right to play throughout their childhood and teenage years, as set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child Article 31 and the Charter for Children’s Play.
Supporting front line play providers
Webinars
Sharing best practice
Interpreting guidance
Representing the play sector (in England)
Providing expert play information
Signposting important information
Producing resources & publications
Strategic partnerships
Working with other nations and organisations
Representing the sector to national government
Raising profile of play
Play Day & other campaigns
Promoting play and playwork in the media
To achieve this vision, we aim to ensure that:
All children and young people have the freedom — time, space, permission and opportunity — to play throughout their childhood and teenage years;
All residential neighbourhoods are child-friendly places where children and young people can regularly play outside; and
Everyone is aware of the importance of play — outdoors and indoors — as part of children and young people’s daily lives.
Play England campaigns for all children and young people to have freedom and space to play throughout childhood.
Have a look at our campaigns and projects.
We work with national partners and other organisations with shared aims to raise awareness about the importance of play. We lobby government to make fundamental policy changes to protect and promote play, and encourage everyone who has an impact on the lives of children and young people to recognise and plan for children’s play.
Play England has also built up considerable experience and resources to help support individuals and organisations that work in these particular areas:
Schools
Open Space
Streets
Playwork
Adventure playgrounds
Play England works with local areas and communities to support adventure playgrounds.
England has been a world leader for over 60 years in communities and local areas creating and sustaining adventure playgrounds since Lady Allen of Hurtwood first brought the idea to this country from Emdrup in Denmark.
Adventure playgrounds are a unique form of open access staffed play provision where children can enjoy their childhood through engaging in the full possibilities of their play. They are places where children can play in ways that they often can’t elsewhere and provide the play opportunities that adults used to take for granted when they were children.
Creating camps, dens and other self-made constructions, growing plants and vegetables, making fires and cooking on them, making and meeting friends; in adventure playgrounds children learn for themselves how to deal with challenges and risks and build the resilience needed to cope with life’s challenges.
The most important thing about adventure playgrounds is that they are places where children can just be children. They choose how, with what, with whom and for how long they play.
Adventure playgrounds are popular with children because they are interesting and exciting spaces, full of possibilities. They are popular with parents who see them as challenging but safe places to play because they are staffed by skilled playworkers who are at the heart of the neighbourhood community.
Adventure playgrounds in action
We have made four short films in which children, parents and members of the local communities say what there adventure playgrounds mean to them.
Somerford Grove, Haringey
Indigos Go Wild, Torbay
Garston, Liverpool
Fort Apache, Torbay
Download our latest briefing on what makes adventure playgrounds special and how they are at the heart of their communities.