CYP Now - Opinion: Soapbox - Capital's commitment to play sets a standard

In 2001 the British Medical Journal reported on the obesity epidemic in young children, saying that the solution was "spontaneous play ... the only requirement to increase their physical activity". Yet, at a recent debate on the subject, a panel including two ministers did not once mention play.

In the Government's 2002 consultation, young people voted first for more - and more fun - things to do and places to go. In the summary responses, however, play and education were merged into one outcome, enjoyment and achievement, misrepresenting education as their priority.

The green paper, Every Child Matters then all but ignored the "enjoyment" part of the equation, citing a stream of educational indicators in its rationale. It should have come as no surprise, then, when the Children Bill translated "enjoyment and achievement" as "education and training".

What a marked contrast in the approach of the Greater London Authority.

While naming the same outcomes, the Mayor's Children and Young People's Strategy develops an explicit children's rights framework and genuinely reflects what young Londoners say most concerns them.

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