Make Play and Continuous Provision statutory in England's Key Stage 1 Curriculum
The Parliament petitions site records 106,082 signatures for this petition, which closed on 3 January 2026. The Government responded on 1 August 2025. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 26 January 2026.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
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.
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.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 1 August 2025; the petitions site lists the Department for Education as responsible. Its summary:
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.
The response in full:
The Department is working to make sure that all children and young people have access to a variety of enrichment opportunities at school, as an important part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity. For some schools, these opportunities may be used to encourage children and young people to play.
We recognise that play is critical to children’s wellbeing and development, as highlighted in the Centre for Young Lives’ Everything to Play For report. This is reflected in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework, which is clear that play is essential for children’s learning and development. The EYFS emphasises the importance of creating opportunities for indoor and outdoor play, and enabling environments and cultures for high-quality play.
Our expectation is for schools to organise the school day and school week in the best interests of their pupil cohort, to both provide them with a full time education suitable to their age, aptitude and ability, and to provide opportunities for schools to incorporate time for play and other activities.
We recognise the current key stage 1 curriculum requires reform. This is why the Government established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, to look into issues, such as this, and make recommendations to improve the curriculum for children. The Review Group is currently looking across the existing national curriculum and statutory assessment system, to ensure they meet the needs of young people in your area and across England.
The Review’s final report and recommendations will be published in autumn, at which point the Government will be in a position to consider any changes to the curriculum. The Government will consult with education experts, teachers, and parents to ensure the very best for children in England.
Department for Education
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies. Measured against each constituency's electorate at the 2024 general election, the most came from Kingswinford and South Staffordshire, with 6.2 signatures per 1,000 electors (443 in all).
105,755 of the signatures were from the UK and 327 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures | Electorate, July 2024 | Per 1,000 electors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kingswinford and South Staffordshire | 443 | 71,645 | 6.2 |
| Tunbridge Wells | 448 | 78,738 | 5.7 |
| Bristol East | 404 | 75,917 | 5.3 |
| Hitchin | 395 | 75,877 | 5.2 |
| Leeds North West | 356 | 71,592 | 5.0 |
| Lichfield | 379 | 76,118 | 5.0 |
| South West Devon | 389 | 77,600 | 5.0 |
| Bicester and Woodstock | 367 | 74,353 | 4.9 |
| Leeds North East | 342 | 70,178 | 4.9 |
| Hertford and Stortford | 370 | 78,915 | 4.7 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| South East | 20,172 |
| South West | 13,301 |
| East of England | 13,029 |
| North West | 12,654 |
| West Midlands | 10,988 |
| London | 10,148 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 10,020 |
| East Midlands | 9,495 |
| North East | 3,618 |
| Wales | 1,084 |
| Scotland | 498 |
| Northern Ireland | 253 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 26 January 2026. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/729440.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
a623316c71ec32b6… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.