Play is Where Opportunity Becomes Real by Paul Lindley OBE

Paul Lindley OBE is an entrepreneur, author and Chair of the Raising the Nation Play Commission. He founded Ella’s Kitchen and is the author of Raising the Nation (2023). He is Chancellor of the University of Reading and works across policy and practice to build a more child-centred future.

Drawing on his work as Chair of the Raising the Nation Play Commission, Paul Lindley OBE argues that play is not an “extra” in early years education but the lived experience through which children develop wellbeing, confidence and learning, where self-regulation is developed, an understanding of conflict resolution evolves, but also where opportunity and inequality are most powerfully felt.

Read Paul's full article below:

In recent years, early years educators have been asked to carry an extraordinary weight: narrowing school readiness gaps, supporting rising levels of SEND, responding to worsening child mental health, and working alongside families under growing economic pressure, all while also ensuring all children reach good levels of development at the end of Reception. Yet amid all this pressure, one of the most powerful tools we have for children’s development is too often treated as optional: play.

The Raising the Nation Play Commission was launched in June 2024 to ask a simple question: why is it becoming harder for children in England to play — and what can we do about it?

One message came through louder than anything else:

Play is not a side issue. It’s where opportunity becomes real in a child’s everyday life — the lived experience through which policies on poverty, education, health and safety are actually felt.

Our final report, ‘Everything to Play For’, sets out a plan to ensure every child in England can play again.

Play isn’t preparation for life — it is life

In our report, we describe play as one of the purest forms of learning, joy and connection. Play is how children explore who they are, how they relate to others, and how they make sense of the world.

This is especially true in the early years. Play is not a break from learning — it is learning. It is how children develop language, emotional regulation, imagination, physical confidence and social skills. It is also one of the best foundations for building resilience.

The play gap becomes an opportunity gap

One of the most striking findings from the Commission is how closely play intersects with inequality.

Children growing up in poverty are more likely to have less access to safe outdoor space, fewer affordable play opportunities, and more time spent indoors or on screens. Families in overcrowded or temporary accommodation may have little space for active play at all. The result is that the “play gap” becomes an “opportunity gap”.

This is why I found TACTYC’s manifesto so powerful: it speaks clearly about early childhood education as a matter of rights, equity and inclusion — not simply preparation for later academic attainment and emphasises the importance of play-based pedagogy.

Early years practice is already ahead of policy

Early years professionals have long understood play-based pedagogy. But the Commission found that the wider system too often works against it: reduced time, squeezed space, and accountability systems that narrow what is valued.

Our report highlights that children in Key Stage 1 now have 23 minutes less breaktime per day than in 1995. Whether due to packed schedules, long lunch queues, or playtime being removed as punishment, this is not just a small adjustment, it is a cultural shift. If we allow play to be squeezed out, we should not be surprised when children struggle with attention, wellbeing, emotional regulation and relationships, or that “school readiness” seems to have become such a cause for concern.

What needs to change?

The Commission made ten headline recommendations. For the early years sector, one stands out clearly:

Play must be protected as the foundation of early development, with proper training and support for practitioners.

Like TACTYC, we recommend that:

• all early years practitioners receive play-based training, including through continuing professional development

• the Early Years Foundation Stage maintains its emphasis on play and is clear about play as the principal driver of physical, intellectual and emotional development

But early years settings cannot carry this responsibility alone. We also need safer streets, better parks, stronger rights protections, and a National Play Strategy for England: because play cannot thrive in a society that makes children feel unwelcome.

A call to action

So my question is simple:

If play is where opportunity becomes real, what would change in your setting — or in your local area — if we treated play as a right rather than a reward?

I would love TACTYC members to share what you are seeing, what is working, and what barriers you are facing. Because this movement will only succeed if educators help lead it.

Author:

Paul Lindley OBE (LinkedIn: @Paul Lindley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-lindley-obe-212045a/ )

References:

Raising the Nation Play Commission (2025) Everything to Play For: A plan to ensure every child in England can play. Centre for Young Lives. Available at: https://www.centreforyounglives.org.uk/  (Accessed: 10 February 2026).

TACTYC (2025). Our Manifesto. Available at: https://www.tactyc.org.uk/our-manifesto (Accessed 11/2/26)

United Nations (1989) Convention on the Rights of the Child. Available at: https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-rights-child  (Accessed: 10 February 2026).