Baroness Garden of Frognal – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Garden of Frognal on 2016-03-16.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for highlighting play as a key strand of the Government’s policy on parenting and life chances.

Lord Nash

I refer my Rt Hon. Friend to the answer given on 9 March to PQ 29736, which I have also set out below:

The Department for Education recognises that play has an important role in supporting all young children to develop and prepare for later learning.

Play is integral in the early years and is covered in the statutory Early Years Foundation Stage framework which states: “Play is essential for children’s development, building their confidence as they learn to explore, to think about problems, and relate to others.” The framework is attached [for your attention].

The Government’s forthcoming Life Chances Strategy will set out a comprehensive plan to fight disadvantage and extend opportunity. Within this, we are considering how we can support early years and parenting to give children the best start in life.