Every child’s life should be full of play. Yet State of Play, the interim report from the Raising the Nation Play Commission, shows that today’s children have less time and space to play than previous generations. This is especially true for our most disadvantaged children. At home, they are least likely to have space to play; access to a garden; or access to a safe playground. At school, they are more likely to have shorter break times, and to have break time withheld as a punishment.

At Voice 21 we know that time to play is time to talk. If not every child has the time and space to play, then not every child has the opportunity to develop their oracy skills. Not every child has the opportunity to develop the language of the curious, the problem-solver and the negotiator, and to use this language for their own ends, in a spirit of play.

Reading State of Play, it is striking that themes emerge that chime with those in We Need to Talk, the 2024 report of  The Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England. Both reports talk of the importance of agency – that we cannot rob children of the chance to make choices, and see the impact of these choices on the world, both at home and at school. Both reports argue for the restoration of joy, curiosity and creativity to childhood. Both reports speak of the pressures on schools and teachers that crowd out the time and space to play, and talk. Finally, both reports demand that we remain expansive and ambitious about children and childhood. That we don’t reduce either to simply a checklist of the measurable: rather, that we embrace the richness and complexity of what is needed to ensure every child is equipped to thrive in school and in life. 

What we hear in our schools 

Our schools talk to us about play. What they say reflects the wider research literature on the reciprocal relationship between oracy and play: oracy helps us access play, and play helps us develop oracy skills. 

An Oracy Lead in a primary pupil referral unit told us how oracy skills, taught in the classroom, supported students’ self-regulation and strengthened peer-to-peer relationships. This, in turn, changed the sorts of play that students engaged in: 

“Before we’d have really really structured play, which helped them with their behaviour… What we’ve been able to do is kind of loosen that to allow them to have their own time, and they’re now role-playing more like they were playing cops and robbers… they would never have role-played before but they’re now able to.” – Oracy Lead, North East England

Many of our schools take us out into the playground to see oracy in action in Outdoor Play and Learning (OPAL). Outside, you can hear children using language to express curiosity and wonder; build, break and repair relationships with peers; collaborate to solve problems and create new worlds. 

“We have started implementing the OPAL (Outdoor Play & Learning) across the school… something that really lends itself to oracy. This has allowed our Curriculum and Oracy teams to work closely on a project with the pastoral and forest school teams. This is another area we have been cautious about making the oracy too explicit in terms of resourcing [it’s not about replacing play with teaching and learning], rather putting the training into midday staff and play workers to ensure they are recognising and celebrating the importance of oracy in the outdoors as and when they see it.” – Oracy Lead, North West England 

Ensuring that every child has time and space to play is not just about fun—although playtimes should, of course, be fun—it is about fostering communication, curiosity, and connection. As both research and real-life examples from schools demonstrate, play and oracy are deeply intertwined, each enriching the other. When children have the freedom to engage in imaginative, unstructured play, they develop and put into practice essential language skills that support their learning and relationships. As we reflect on the findings of State of Play and We Need to Talk, it is clear that prioritising play is not optional—it is essential. By safeguarding children’s right to play, we also safeguard important opportunities for them to learn to express themselves, collaborate, and navigate the world with confidence. Let us retain an expansive and ambitious vision for childhood to ensure that all children have the opportunity to thrive.