Press Releases

PlayBoard helps kids rediscover PLAY PlayBoard launches Play Manifesto
   

72% OF PARENTS WANT MORE TIME TO PLAY WITH THEIR CHILDREN

Figures released today for Playday 2009 show that nearly three-quarters of parents (72%) want more time for their children to play.

The ICM survey commissioned by Play England on behalf of the 4 nation partners (PlayBoard NI, Play Scotland and Play Wales) found that more than half of parents (52%) feel that work, or other unavoidable commitments, limit their time to support their children to play. This pressure is intensified by the fact that half of parents say there aren’t enough places where they live, for children to play safely without an adult.

The research also found that children are facing pressures on their time too, with homework and extra-curricular activities impacting heavily on children’s free time. A third of children (34%) and a quarter of 7-8 year olds (25%) report that homework often stops them playing, and nearly half of adults (47%), think children should go to fewer extra-curricular activities. 

Children told researchers that being denied time to play makes them feel bored, unhappy and miss their friends. Parents recognise this, and report that children are naughty (72%) and angry (62%) if they haven’t had enough time to play.

Jacqueline O’Loughlin, Chief Executive of PlayBoard NI, said: ‘Children and adults alike are telling us that the pressures of modern life are restricting time for children to play and that this makes them unhappy. Play is vital for children’s health, learning and development. Most importantly, play is fundamental to their enjoyment of childhood; it can’t be taken for granted. All of us, not just parents, have a part to play in allowing and supporting children to play.’

When asked what should happen for children to have more time to play, 73% of adults surveyed (increasing to 76% of parents) said they would like more places to play where children can go independently, and 61% (rising to 66% of parents) would like flexible working arrangements for parents.

Play day is celebrated annually on the first Wednesday on August.  This year on Wednesday 5 August 2009, over 700 events play will take place across the UK to celebrate and promote the children’s right to play.  Here in Northern Ireland events are taking place throughout the region, PlayBoard’s main event is being held in Oxford Island Discovery Centre from 12pm - 4pm with over 500 children and young people coming to celebrate the day.  This year’s theme – Make time!is calling on everyone, including parents, carers, teachers, policy makers and planners, to think about what they can do to ensure children can play.

To mark Playday, Play England and parterns has published a body of research, whichlooks at adults and children’s time commitments and how this effects children’s time to play. 

- ENDS-

Notes for editors:

  1. ICM Research interviewed a random sample of 1037 adults aged 18 + by telephone between 24 – 25 June 2009. Interviews were conducted across the UK and the results have been weighted to the profile of all adults. They also interviewed a random sample of 1030 children and young people aged 7 – 14 across the UK by telephone between 19 June – 30 July 2009. ICM is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. Further information at www.icmresearch.co.uk.
  1. Further research to support the Make time! campaign is will be published on the Playday website – www.playday.org.uk– on Monday 3 August 2009. Embargoed advance copies are available on request.
    • ICM opinion poll summary
    • Review of published literature on children’s time to play
    • Qualitative research from focus groups with children and young people
  1. To arrange an interview with a Playday expert, find information on local Playday events, or for quotes or interviews with children and parents in Northern Ireland, call Lisa O’Connor on 02890803380or email lisa.oconnor@playboard.co.uk   
  1. For further information on specific local Playday events visit the Playday website at www.playday.org.uk
  2. Playday is the annual celebration of children’s right to play. The campaign is coordinated by Play England, based at NCB (www.ncb.org.uk), working in partnership with PlayBoard Northern Ireland, Play Scotland and Play Wales. On Playday and throughout the summer of 2009, children, young people and communities will get out and play at hundreds of locally organised events across the UK. This year’s Playday campaign theme, Make time! highlights that all children have the right to play and need time and space to play. The campaign is calling on everyone, including parents, carers, teachers, policy makers and planners, to think about what they can do to ensure children can play.
    For further information on this release contact:

Lisa O’Connor on Tel: 02890803380/07538552612 or email lisa.oconnor@playboard.co.uk         

 

2800 childcare places at risk due to funding shortfall

“Pillar to post” approach to funding means thousands of childcare places, 57 projects and 262 jobs across NI now at risk

PlayBoard Chief Executive Jacqueline O’Loughlin has warned that 2800 childcare places in 57 projects right across Northern Ireland are at risk if the funding for School Age Childcare Projects, which runs out at the end of June, is not extended.

The funding scheme, which operates through the Executive Children’s Fund, provides parents with affordable, accessible childcare to enable them to return to training, education or employment opportunities. To date 2829 parents have returned to work thanks to the childcare offered by the relevant school age childcare projects involved in the initiative which currently funds 2800 childcare places. A further 210 parents have joined training courses while children are cared for under the funding initiative.

Chief Executive of PlayBoard Jacqueline O’Loughlin said, “This funding initiative supported those families in the poverty and benefits trap who were unable to source affordable childcare. We have been in discussions for months now with various departments on this issue, but have been shifted from pillar to post, with no Department taking responsibility. This shows a worrying lack of joined-up thinking on an issue which should be one of the Executive’s top priorities; the provision of childcare.

“Funding is now the responsibility of the Department of Education; government departments need to step up to the mark and ensure that those who have rejoined the world of work thanks to the initiative can continue in their jobs “.

“At a time when living costs are soaring, those single parents and families who have been supported to return to work thanks to the initiative will now face soaring childcare costs. In many cases they will be unable to afford alternative childcare outside their immediate communities and may be forced back onto benefits,“ she added.

ENDS

Contact: Carl Whyte Stakeholder Communications 02890 339949

Notes to Editors:

In November 2006 the Executive agreed that responsibility for funding the School Age Childcare project would shift from DHSSPS to the Department of Education and despite writing to both the Minister for Education and the Junior Ministers at the OFMDFM, where play policy is co-ordinated, no notification of extended funding has been received.

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PlayBoard helps kids rediscover PLAY

Executive urged to roll out innovative play scheme across Northern Ireland

Date issued: Tuesday, 19th June 2007

Embargoed until 00.01am, Wednesday, 20th June

Pre-filming, pre-recording and photography at a Reclaiming PlaySpace session can be facilitated, and there is a potential opportunity for a live broadcast link-up while a session is in progress - see editor's notes below.

Contact: Liz Fawcett, Liz Fawcett Consulting Tel: 028 9020 0811 or 0771 943 5662

The leading play agency, PlayBoard, has called on the Northern Ireland Executive to support an innovative mobile play project which helps children reciscover the delights of outdoor play

The Reclaiming PlaySpace programme is currently enabling 150 children in north Belfast to play in community settings, such as parks and open spaces, which aren't always considered safe for them

"These children are typical of today's kids," observes the scheme's Project Manager, Louise Monaghan.

"Until now, many of them would have spent much of their leisure time playing computer games or watching TV."

"Now, they can't wait to get outside and get involved in the activities which we facilitate - activities like building dens and playing traditional street games which many of us took for granted as children."

The scheme's 'play rangers' currently visit four areas in north Belfast twice a week. They arrive in the Reclaiming PlaySpace mobile van, and bring out a selection of simple but stimulating play materials and equipment which the children can use if they wish

The rangers are available to provide ideas, and to facilitate games and activities as required, but the focus is very much on enabling youngsters to do what they want in a safe and enjoyable environment.

One of the Reclaiming PlaySpace venues is Glenbank Park, of the Ligoniel Road in north Belfast

Although Glenbank is a public park, many local parents have been afriad to allow their children to play there unsupervised due to concerns about he possibility of anti-social behaviour and 'stranger danger'.

The Reclaiming PlaySpace scheme has enabled children to literally reclaim the park as the play and recreational space which it was intended to be.

"Recent research has shown that there are widespread fears among adults right across the UK about allowing children to play outside the home unsupervised," says Louise

"Many public parks and community spaces are becoming effective 'no go' areas for children and , as a result, kids are forgetting how to play outdoors

"The consequences of this trend in terms of children's overall health and well being are likely to be very serious if this issue isn't addressed.

"We're calling on the Northern Ireland Executive to provide sufficient funding to enable Reclaiming PlaySpace to be rolled out right across Northern Ireland, so that all children can share in the opportunity to rediscover the delights of safe outdoor play."

ENDS

Editor’s notes:

  1. PlayBoard is the lead voluntary agency for children and young people's play, and school aged childcare in Northern Ireland.
  2. Reclaiming PlaySpace is currently funded by the Sports Council for Northern Ireland, the Big Lottery and the Eastern Physical Activity Co-ordination Group. It is aimed at the 5-12 year old age group
  3. PlayBoard is asking the Northern Ireland Executive for £1.9mto enable the agency to roll out the scheme across the region over a three-year period.
  4. Pre-filming, pre-recording and photographycan be facilitated at a Reclaiming PlaySpace session from6.30pm to 8pm on Monday, 18th June at Glenbank Park,which can be accessed via Glenbank Drive off the upper Crumlin Road. Full written parental consent has been obtained from any children who may be filmed, interviewed or photographed. There is also the opportunityfor any broadcasters who so wish to broadcast live from Glenbank Park while a sessiontakes place from 4.30pm to 6pm on Wednesday, 20th June.
  5. The research referred to in the news release was carried out by the Children's Society - for more details just click here
  6. For further information and to arrange interviews, recording or filming, please contact Liz Fawcett, Liz Fawcett Consulting. Tel: 028 90200811 Mobile: 07719435662 or Louise Monaghan, PlayBoard Tel: 028 90803380 Mobile: 07734392235

PlayBoard launches Play Manifesto

‘Cut child obesity by boosting playtime in school’ urges PlayBoard

Date issued: Wednesday, 7th February, 2007

Embargoed until 00.01am, Tuesday, 13th February

Media representatives are welcome to film/record/photograph PlayBoard’s Positive PlayGrounds programme in action with children at St Joseph’s Primary School in Lisburn – includes colourful giant parachute. PlayBoard’s own photos also available.

Contact: Liz Fawcett, Liz Fawcett Consulting Tel: 028 9020 0811 or 0771 943 5662

The leading play agency, PlayBoard, has called on the government and politicians to encourage schools in Northern Ireland to give greater priority to children’s play.

The call is contained in a special ‘Play Manifesto’ which PlayBoard is launching today [Tuesday, 13th February].

PlayBoard says that the move would help tackle the spiralling levels of child obesity in Northern Ireland.

“Something’s gone badly wrong when nearly a quarter of all children in P1 are either overweight or obese,” says PlayBoard’s Chief Executive, Jacqueline O’Loughlin.

“We know that TV and computer games outside school are contributing to a much more sedentary lifestyle, and that many children can’t access good play facilities near their homes.

“School playgrounds provide a fantastic resource for encouraging rewarding and active play – and we’d really like schools to give children’s play greater priority.”

PlayBoard is already tackling this issue by providing special ‘play training’ to 100 primary schools through its innovative Positive PlayGrounds programme.

Positive PlayGrounds helps staff and pupils to make more effective use of the playground by giving children a bigger say in how their playground is run, and introducing new and exciting ideas for play.

PlayBoard is calling on the government – and any future devolved administration - to provide sufficient funding to enable this scheme to be rolled out to every primary school in Northern Ireland.

“We’ve had fantastic results from Positive PlayGrounds”, says PlayBoard’s Positive PlayGrounds Manager, Angela Stallard.

“Many schools say they’ve seen a reduction in bullying and significant increases in activity levels as a result of this scheme.

“And schools don’t need to spend lots of money on new equipment – Positive PlayGrounds is all about making better use of the facilities schools already have.”

One school which has already benefited from the programme is St Joseph’s Primary School in Lisburn.

The school’s principal, Maria Gough, says the scheme has transformed playtime.

“Most children used to stand around at lunchtime, looking bored and just waiting for the bell.

“Now the children look so happy and involved at playtime.

“We’ve seen activity levels at break-time increasing threefold – which not only benefits the children physically, but also improves their concentration in class.”

PlayBoard is also calling for longer school break times and limits on the amount of homework children are given in primary schools - to increase the time children have available for play.

Circumstantial evidence suggests that many primary schools here have shorter lunch breaks and give out more homework than schools in England.

“Many schools here just don’t realise the incredible physical and developmental value of play” says Jacqueline O’Loughlin.

“What schools need is the right support and guidance on this issue - we hope any new devolved administration will give school-based children’s play the priority it deserves.”

ENDS

Editor’s notes:

  1. PlayBoard is the leading voluntary play and out of school club agency in Northern Ireland.
  2. St Joseph’s Primary School in Lisburn is happy to facilitate filming, recording and photography to illustrate the Positive PlayGrounds scheme in action and the impact it has had on children’s play in the school. The school can facilitate filming etc. on Tuesday, 13th February, or pre-filming/recording etc. on either Thursday, 8th or Friday 9th February at 12.30 to fit in with school break-times. Written parental permission has been obtained for filming, photography and interviews. Please contact Liz Fawcett if you would like to avail of this opportunity.
  3. PlayBoard’s own photos of children playing at St Joseph’s are being sent to all print media outlets. Please contact Liz Fawcett if you have not received these.

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