I should have been winding down for the night, but instead I was wide awake, heart racing and mind whirring with the same thoughts that had been haunting me for months. Our education system in England is failing too many of our children. Not because teachers don’t care, they do, deeply. Not because children aren’t capable, they are, abundantly. But because the system they are being squeezed into is simply not designed for how young children actually learn.
The heartbreak behind the petition
It breaks my heart that young children are being pushed through test after test at the expense of what should be the most playful, joyful years of their education. Those precious moments of building towers, role-playing stories, exploring outside, making up games. They are being traded for worksheets, data drops and “evidence” for accountability.
It breaks my heart that schools are underfunded and overstretched, forced to make impossible choices about resources, staffing and support. When budgets are tight, play often looks like an “extra” rather than the essential foundation that it truly is.
It breaks my heart to see children who once bounced into school full of curiosity, gradually dim. I see children who desperately need to move more, to explore, to touch, to build, to ask questions, being told to “sit still and listen”. I see children becoming a shell of who they were: quieter, more anxious, less confident, less themselves.
And yet, I know the solution.
Play is the solution!
What I see in the classroom
As an educator and a parent, I have watched children light up when they are given the freedom to learn through play. The child who “can’t concentrate” in a whole-class carpet session will happily stay engaged for 30 minutes when they’re building a model, writing signs for their shop, or creating a story world with small-world figures.
The child who is “behind” in writing will suddenly begin to mark-make meaningfully when given clipboards in the construction area, or chalks outside, or a role-play post office to run.
The child who struggles with confidence starts to take risks, share ideas and show leadership when they are allowed to co-create their learning environment, make choices and follow their interests.
When learning is rooted in play, children don’t just “do better” academically; they feel better. They are more motivated, more resilient, more empowered. They see school as a place that fits them, not a place where they’re constantly trying to fit in.
Play is not a reward, it is the learning
Somewhere along the line, play has been relegated to the sidelines. Something that happens at break time, golden time, or “if you finish your work”. But for young children, play is not a reward for learning; it is the way they learn best.
Developmentally appropriate practice isn’t a nice extra. It’s about honouring the way children’s brains and bodies are wired. It means recognising that:
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Movement supports attention, regulation and memory.
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Hands-on exploration builds deep understanding.
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Imagination and role-play help children process the world around them.
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Choice and autonomy build confidence and intrinsic motivation.
A curriculum that ignores this is not a rigorous curriculum, it’s an inappropriate one...
That’s why I am calling for continuous provision and play-based learning to be a core part of Key Stage 1, right up to the end of Year 2. Not just for a lucky few. Not just when there’s “spare time”. For all children.
Meeting children where they are
We have to stop forcing children to meet arbitrary expectations that don’t match where they are developmentally. Instead, we must meet children where they are emotionally, socially, physically and cognitively.
Continuous provision done well doesn’t mean a free-for-all. It means thoughtfully planned environments and invitations to play that are closely linked to the curriculum. It means skilled adults who observe, interact, scaffold and extend learning. It means opportunities for purposeful play alongside adult-guided learning, not instead of it.
This isn’t about lowering standards. It’s about raising them in a way that is humane, sustainable and genuinely effective for young children.
So I started the petition…
That late-night moment in my pyjamas turned into action. I started a petition calling for play and continuous provision to be made statutory in England’s Key Stage 1 curriculum, extending the best of what we already know works in the Early Years into Year 1 and Year 2. I want a system that recognises that “play” and “learning” are not opposites, they are partners.
This petition is more than a line of text on a website. It’s a collective cry from educators, parents and carers who are saying:
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We are tired of watching children lose their love of learning.
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We are tired of seeing five, six and seven year-olds treated like mini adults.
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We are tired of pretending that “sitting still and filling in boxes” is the only way to prove progress.
We want a system that reflects the evidence, honours children’s rights and trusts teachers’ professional judgement.
How you can help
If any of this resonates with you, if you have watched a child you love become smaller, sadder or more anxious because school feels too formal, too soon - then this campaign is for you too.
You can help by:
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Signing the petition and adding your voice to the call for statutory play-based learning in KS1.
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Sharing it with friends, colleagues, school staff and family members.
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Talking to your child’s school about the importance of play and continuous provision.
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Joining conversations on social media, in parent groups and in staffrooms, so that this doesn’t stay a quiet concern but becomes a visible movement.
Children, not robots
At the heart of this campaign is something very simple: children are children, not robots to be programmed to meet targets. They are messy, curious, funny, active, imaginative and gloriously unique. Our education system should reflect that, not flatten it.
It broke my heart to see what was happening. But that heartbreak has turned into hope... hope that, together, we can shift the narrative, protect play and reclaim childhood in our classrooms.
Play is the solution.
Developmentally appropriate practice is the solution.
Meeting children where they are is the solution.
Treating children as children is the solution.
And this petition is one powerful step towards making that a reality.