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I read with interest recently that the Health Minister Anne Milton has said that some residential streets should be closed to vehicles for periods of time, to allow children to play in them as she believes that this idea could tackle the problem of childhood obesity (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13325891). The relationship between an increasing volume of traffic and reduced opportunities for children to be play are clear for all to see. The concept of play streets aims to create traffic-free play areas for children to be able to positively interact in safe environments through play activities. The report suggests that this is not new as similar schemes were introduced decades ago. My question is why are those schemes not still running now and is this just another flash in the pan initiative that will come and go. Communities of practice cannot exist on separate and isolated initiatives brought to us, as good as they potentially are, on a whim by one person who thinks that it is the right thing to do. The full range of agents of change must be completely aligned in principle and practice in achieving a common goal; this means a shared understanding of what the goal is and what impact we are looking to enforce through achieving the goal.

In this particular case this would mean parents, playworkers, transport departments, health organisations, police, and, of course, children themselves being engaged in sustainable approaches to play opportunities in streets with the common goal of allowing every child to access their fundamental right to play. And this, I’m afraid, is where it often goes sadly wrong when a variety of agencies are often overlooked and one arm doesn’t know what the other is doing; it often reminds me of that hole in the road that we often see different utility companies working in at different times of the year and wonder why they don’t just all work in there around the same time and not keep having to dig the hole up! With the reduction in play spaces and opportunities to participate in organised physical activity caused by the various governmental cuts we need to think more laterally around multi-agency approaches to tackling childhood obesity to ensure the common goal is achieved in an effective and sustainable way.

Dr David Morley is Head of Education at ESP, a consultant for a range of national organisations and NGBs of sport, and holds Visiting Fellow positions at both Northumbria and Leeds Metropolitan Universities.

Posted: 13th June 2011 in Early Years News, News, Primary News, Secondary News, SEN News