The report, Time for Play: Encouraging Play Opportunities for Children and Young People, published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport last week, summarises the current activity taking place across Government departments and in the voluntary sector on children's play.
It flags up significant developments over the past two years, including the Big Lottery Fund strategic play initiative and changes to service delivery, ranging from children's trust arrangements to local area agreements.
However, Issy Cole-Hamilton, policy and research manager at the Children's Play Council, said some changes to Government policy had endangered the future of children's play opportunities, despite what she called some 'encouraging developments'.
'The revision of guidelines to local authorities for the use of Planning Gain Supplement (also known as Section 106 funding) has removed children's play areas as a category for funding in their own right, and the core services for extended schools do not require provision for play opportunities,' she said.
Nicola Butler, director of the Free Play Network, which promotes better play opportunities, said good work was happening, but called for greater resources and education about what makes a good play environment.
'The report refers to extended schools saying they could "easily include play", but for many play is a low priority,' she told Nursery World. 'They are doing extended schools on a shoestring budget and I don't think extended schools will offer play. There is potential for them to create a good play environment, but a lot more work needs to be done.'
She stressed that play needed to be made a much higher priority in the Building Schools for the Future programme by the DfES, while funding needed to be sustainable.
