LICENSED TO PLAY

In 2025, Ruth Lue-Quee – also known as My Mummy Teacher – launched a petition to make play-based pedagogy a core part of the Key Stage One. Her petition attracted more than 100,000 signatures and the motion was debated in parliament. Ruth speaks to PlayNation about why she things play-based learning should be statutory up to the age of seven

As a former deputy headteacher, educational consultant and founder of the Play is Learning campaign, I have spent years advocating for developmentally appropriate practice for young children. I have seen the evidence, I have seen the impact in classrooms, and I have seen what happens when children are given the time, space and opportunity to learn in ways that reflect how they actually develop. But this stopped being a professional concern and became a personal mission when my own son approached the transition from Reception into Key Stage 1.

Like so many professionals working in education, play and child development, I could see the cliff edge coming. I could see the shift from a Reception experience that values active, exploratory, hands-on learning into a system that too often expects children to adapt rapidly to more formalised approaches, regardless of developmental readiness. It was that moment that turned me into what I often call an ‘accidental campaigner.’

Because once you see it clearly, it becomes impossible to ignore.

Based on science

The argument for play-based learning in Key Stage 1 is not sentimental, nostalgic or soft. It is evidence-led, developmentally appropriate and necessary. Yet in England, play-based pedagogy is not statutory beyond the Early Years. That makes England the outlier across the UK, and it leaves far too much to interpretation, confidence, school culture and leadership priorities.

That is precisely the problem. We often hear that schools can already use professional judgement to embed play and continuous provision in Key Stage 1. In theory, that is true. In practice, however, professional judgement only works when the wider system gives schools the clarity, confidence and permission to use it. Right now, that support is inconsistent. What we have instead is a postcode lottery in which some schools are doing this brilliantly, while others feel unable to, even when practitioners know it is what children need. That is why I believe play-based learning should be statutory.

Statutory recognition would not mean lowering standards, reducing ambition or removing structure. It would mean acknowledging what the evidence has shown for decades: that five, six and seven-year-olds learn most effectively through active, meaningful, play-rich experiences that support language, communication, self-regulation, creativity, collaboration, problem-solving and conceptual understanding. It would mean recognising play and continuous provision not as enrichment or an optional extra, but as a legitimate and protected pedagogical approach within KS1.

This is especially important when we look at the broader picture. Only 62% of pupils currently meet the expected standard in Key Stage 2 reading, writing and maths. At the same time, concerns around children’s wellbeing and mental health continue to grow. For me, those figures demand more than superficial discussion. They require us to ask whether the system is genuinely aligned with children’s developmental needs, or whether too many children are being expected to succeed in environments that are not designed with them in mind.

Campaign for change

The Play is Learning campaign was built on that concern, but also on hope. It exists because so many parents, teachers and professionals know this issue matters. The petition reaching over 106,000 signatures and being debated in Westminster Hall in January 2026 was a major milestone, not simply because it gained visibility, but because it forced this issue into the public and political record. It showed that this is not a niche concern confined to those with an educational background. It is a serious education issue with broad support.

What has also been encouraging is the quality of the conversation that has followed. This campaign has always aimed to be constructive, credible and focused on practical change. The long-term ask remains unchanged: play and continuous provision should be statutory in KS1. That is the clearest route to consistency, protection and confidence across the system. But while government is not yet prepared to go that far, there are still meaningful interim steps that could make a real difference.

It is a mission to help create an education system that values childhood, respects development and gives schools the confidence to teach in ways that work

These include ensuring KS1 practitioners and child development experts are meaningfully involved in the next stakeholder phase of curriculum review, creating space for direct ministerial engagement, and securing a clear pedagogical line alongside final curriculum content and supporting materials. Because unless schools receive an explicit signal that play-based learning is valid, evidence-led and appropriate, many will continue to feel that they are taking a risk by adopting it.

For those of us in the play sector, that should matter deeply. We know play is not the opposite of learning. We know that rich play experiences build the foundations on which formal learning depends. We know that children do not stop needing movement, exploration, imagination and interaction the moment they turn five. The challenge now is not proving that play matters. The challenge is ensuring the system reflects it. For me, this is now far bigger than a campaign. It is a mission to help create an education system that values childhood, respects development and gives schools the confidence to teach in ways that work. Statutory change matters because it would move play-based learning from being dependent on keen teachers or bravery to being recognised as part of good practice.

And that is exactly where it belongs.

Play-based learning should be statutory not because it is idealistic, but because it is necessary. Not because children need less from education, but because they deserve better from it.

To keep up to date with the Play is Learning campaign (and for play-based ideas) visit: [www.mmtplay.com](http://www.mmtplay.com/)