How we frame this issue is crucial. The words we use can shape how MPs, policymakers, and the wider public understand the petition. If we are not careful, the campaign risks being misrepresented as simply “allowing children to play more,” when the real aim is to embed play-based learning as a statutory part of the Key Stage 1 curriculum.
Recommended wording
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Use: “learning through play” or “play-based learning”
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Avoid: “letting children play” or “allowing children to play more in school”
Phrases like “allowing children to play” might suggest unstructured breaktime, which MPs may dismiss as enrichment or recreation. “Play-based learning” keeps the focus on pedagogy and makes clear this is about how children are taught in school.
Suggested email subject lines
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“Embedding play-based learning in Key Stage 1”
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“Making play-based pedagogy statutory in KS1”
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“Learning through play: supporting child development in schools”
Copy-and-paste ‘definition of play-based pedagogy’
Play-based pedagogy is a research-informed teaching approach where play is the main vehicle for learning. Children’s natural curiosity and imagination are combined with teacher guidance, ensuring literacy, numeracy, science, and social skills develop in meaningful and developmentally appropriate ways.
Copy-and-paste ‘How it supports key outcomes’
Play-based learning builds the foundations for literacy, numeracy, and self-regulation. Role play and storytelling strengthen language and reading skills. Construction and guided games deepen number sense and mathematical reasoning. Social and imaginative play develop focus, emotional regulation, and resilience. Together, these create the skills children need to succeed in school and life.
Why this matters
Being precise with language helps keep the argument focused on learning, pedagogy, and statutory change. It also prevents MPs from sidestepping the issue by framing play as “just fun”, “break time”, or exercise. By consistently using “play-based learning” or “play-based pedagogy,” we highlight that this is about evidence-based teaching practice, not optional enrichment.
Key Questions to Ask MPs
When meeting or writing to MPs, it is not only important to respond to objections but also to ask clear, evidence-informed questions that hold them accountable. These questions highlight the strength of the case for play-based learning and challenge MPs to justify why evidence is being ignored.
Recommended questions
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If all the scientific and educational evidence supports play-based learning, and there are successful case studies in classrooms across the UK and internationally, why wouldn’t we adopt it in Key Stage 1?
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What evidence are you using to decide that play-based learning should not be statutory? Can you provide specific research studies or evaluations?
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What data does the government consider evidence of “developmentally appropriate learning”? How does this align with over 50 years of research showing play supports literacy, numeracy, and self-regulation?
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Why does England remain the only UK nation where play is not statutory in the first years of primary school, when Wales and Scotland have already embedded it into their national curricula?
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If other high-performing countries like Finland and Sweden extend play into ages 6–7 and achieve stronger academic results, what is the justification for cutting play short in England?
A note on “evidence” and data
If an MP cites data claiming that the current system works, be confident in questioning it. Many tests measure short-term outcomes under highly controlled conditions, where children are trained to pass through micro-managed instruction. This may produce test results, but it does not demonstrate real learning, deep understanding, or transferable skills. Research shows that play-based pedagogy develops flexible thinking, problem solving, and resilience. The skills that matter for lifelong success, not just short-term test scores.