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Reclaiming Childhood: Dr Mike Wragg and the Launch of the APPG on Play at Parliament
On Tuesday 13 May 2025, the Palace of Westminster played host to a landmark moment in children’s policy: the launch of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Play, accompanied by the unveiling of Play England’s new national strategy. At the centre of this energetic and optimistic event was not only a renewed political will to prioritise play, but also the growing impact of academic research in shaping this agenda.
One of those leading voices is Dr Mike Wragg, Senior Lecturer in Playwork at Leeds Beckett University. His work has played a critical role in gathering the evidence behind the push for playwork and adventure playgrounds in England and in making the case for treating play as a matter of national importance.
As policymakers, researchers, charities and advocates gathered in Parliament to press for legislative change, Dr Wragg’s contributions helped ground the conversation in hard data and lived experience.
A National Strategy Backed by Research
The day marked the public launch of Play England’s new 10-year strategy, which aims to make play more accessible, visible, and protected in every community. The strategy calls for England to follow the lead of Wales and Scotland by introducing a statutory Play Sufficiency Duty, requiring councils to assess and secure play opportunities for all children.
This call to action is not just a campaign slogan—it is backed by detailed research, much of which has been developed and shaped by the Raising the Nation Play Commission, an independent inquiry supported by sector leaders and academic partners. Dr Wragg’s work with the Commission has been instrumental in shaping its recommendations.
The Commission’s findings are stark: one in three children under nine in England now lacks access to a safe, accessible place to play near their home. This crisis in childhood has been years in the making, the result of shrinking public spaces, growing traffic, stretched local authority budgets and rising inequalities.
“Children’s play is one of the clearest indicators of a healthy society,” says Dr Wragg. “When children can’t play safely, it tells us something’s gone badly wrong in how we design and manage our communities. The data gathered with the Commission shows this isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a basic public health need.”
The APPG on Play: Giving Children a Voice in Parliament
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Play, launched the same day, provides a political mechanism to take the Commission’s evidence and Play England’s strategy forward. Chaired by Labour MP Tom Hayes, the APPG will bring together MPs from across political parties to champion play as a cross-cutting policy issue spanning health, housing, education and social justice.
Dr Wragg was present at the launch in Parliament, where MPs and sector leaders gathered in a committee room brought to life by vibrant displays and even a playground slide—designed to drive home the message that play is serious business. He was among the invited contributors helping to brief Parliamentarians on the evidence base for change.
“The APPG is an opportunity to make research matter,” he said. “We now have a forum where the lived experiences of children, the concerns of parents, and the findings of researchers can come together in the heart of government.”
A Turning Point for Childhood?
For all the joy and colour of the launch, there was a serious purpose behind the day’s events. Play is not a luxury—it’s a right. And if properly planned and prioritised, it can be a powerful lever for tackling inequality, improving health, and reconnecting communities.
Thanks to the efforts of researchers like Dr Mike Wragg, the voices of children are no longer being left out of policy conversations. Instead, they are being placed front and centre, where they belong.
Thanks to the work of the Raising the Nation Play Commission, and the leadership of the APPG on Play, there is now real hope that this message will be heard loud and clear.
