Staffed play provision missing from childcare plans

Play England and London Play representatives have highlighted the “worrying” omission of play provision in the Department for Education’s most recent childcare reform plans.

The DfE’s More Affordable Childcare report makes no reference to out-of-school care options provided by adventure playgrounds or play workers.

It focuses on developing provision in schools and childcare settings.

Play England director Cath Prisk said the plans should include play provision because after-school hours were “kids’ free time”.

“I was really chuffed when I saw More Affordable Childcare because it has taken the responsibility of delivering the learning and development frameworks away from after-school clubs - but then I realised there is no play provision,” said Prisk.

“There are sideways mentions of after-school provision in the report, but the indications are that that is science or chess club. It is not play provision staffed by play workers and it is not open access.

“Children aged 11 want a safe, interesting, child-friendly place they can choose to go to after school because mum and dad are not home yet. They are too old to sit in the babies’ after-school club, but they are too young to want to just go home and sit on their own."

Prisk highlighted the London boroughs of Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Islington as having good adventure playgrounds that are meeting this need.

London Play play development manager Paul Hocker echoed the concerns.

He said: “Given that one of the stated aims in More Affordable Childcare is setting out how the government plans to give parents ‘the right information so they can make informed choices about childcare’, it is worrying that there is no mention of staffed, open-access play provision.