Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to implement the child's right to play in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child through the establishment of a national play strategy.

The UK government remains fully committed to children’s rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and I reaffirmed our commitment in my Written Ministerial Statement on 20 November 2018.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework sets the regulatory standards for ‘learning and development’ and ‘safeguarding and welfare’ requirements for all early years providers caring for children from birth to 5. The framework defines 7 areas of learning and development and is clear that each area must be implemented through planned, purposeful play and through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activity.

The EYFS Statutory Framework is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2.