Make Play and Continuous Provision statutory in England's Key Stage 1 Curriculum
Revise statutory guidance for KS1 to make play based pedagogy a core part of the Key Stage One National Curriculum, extending the best practice that we see in Early Years to ensure all Key Stage One children continue to have a developmentally appropriate play based approach to their learning.
Signatures
106,082
signatures
Government response threshold (10,000) · 10,000/10,000 · reached
Debate threshold (100,000) · 100,000/100,000 · reached
- 03 JAN 2026Petition closedFinal total: 106,082 signatures
- 30 OCT 2025100,000 signatures reachedEligible to be considered for debate
- 01 AUG 2025Government respondedDepartment for EducationGovernment reply
We recognise play is critical to children’s wellbeing and development which is why the Department is working to make sure that all children have access to these enrichment opportunities at school.
Read full response - 05 JUL 202510,000 signatures reachedEligible for a government response
- 03 JUL 2025Petition opened for signatures
Background
The Early Years Framework highlights the importance of play. However, as children transition to Year 1 and throughout KS1, many may experience a stark shift to formal teaching strategies. We think this fails to reflect how young children learn best. We want our children to access a reformed education system that meets their developmental needs, supports wellbeing, allows for movement, communication, play and develops a true love of learning, enabling all children to thrive.