We believe that play is not an “extra” in education – it is fundamental to how young children learn, explore, and thrive. That belief was at the heart of our recent visit to Westminster in support of the Play Is Learning campaign, led by My Mummy Teacher and championed by fellow advocates from across the education sector.
TTS is proud to be the Strategic Partner of the Play is Learning campaign, and we are pleased to share what happened on the day the debate was handed over to key decision makers in Westminster.
Campaigners Coming Together
Ahead of the parliamentary debate, campaign supporters met to align on one shared message: make play and continuous provision statutory in England’s Key Stage 1 curriculum. Play supports children’s development, wellbeing, and long-term learning outcomes, and deserves to be embedded in policy rather than left to interpretation. The pre-march gathering was a great opportunity for new connections to be made, and existing ones strengthened.
Campaigners meeting before a day in Westminster
Handing the Petition to Downing Street
We headed to Downing Street to formally hand in the campaign petition, where the media was in attendance to capture the positive and passionate atmosphere. Standing outside the iconic black door at Number 10, the petition, signed by 106,082 supporters, was delivered by the driving force behind My Mummy Teacher, Ruth Lue-Quee, with a clear call to action: make play and continuous provision statutory in England’s Key Stage 1 curriculum.
Campaigners outside Downing Street
Attending the Debate
Later in the day, we watched the debate unfold in the Westminster gallery as MPs discussed the importance of play in early education. It was encouraging to see the issue taken seriously on the parliamentary stage and to hear so many MPs speak in strong support of the principles behind the campaign.
The debate made one thing clear: there is significant cross-party recognition of the value of play-based learning. We look forward to seeing how the government can translate the support from MPs and campaigners into action – ultimately, a mandated policy.
Ruth Lue-Quee, Adam Marycz, Tom James and Michael Lue-Quee
Looking ahead
Ensuring that all children benefit from high-quality, play-based learning in Key Stage 1 is a goal worth pursuing. We are proud to have played a part in this important moment for early years and primary education, and we look forward to contributing to the next steps in driving that change forward.
Adam Marycz, Early Childhood Educationalist at TTS, commented:
“The campaign led by Ruth and her team is inspiring and it was a pleasure to be in attendance on this momentous day of advocacy for children’s right to access learning through play in Key Stage 1 in England.
“At TTS we are proud to stand alongside the Play is Learning campaign in championing how all children can thrive through pedagogy. Having been a former Early Years Teacher myself I know first-hand the incredible impact that play-based learning has on children’s development, imagination, creativity, and well-being as well as their ability to grow both independently and collaboratively.”
he independence, creativity, confidence, and connection it fosters are truly inspiring and are vital skills if our next generation of leaders are going to be ready for the world of tomorrow.”
Tom James and Adam Marycz
