Third of children do not play outdoors after school, UK research finds
One in three children do not play outdoors after school and a fifth do not at the weekend, according to research that found outdoor play has a beneficial impact on young people’s developing social and emotional skills.The University of Exeter study looked at data from 2,500 children between sevenand 12 from the multiethnic Born in Bradford research programme, which tracks the health, development and wellbeing of mothers and children from pregnancy onwards.Based on information from questionnaires completed by the children’s parents, researchers measured the social-emotional skills of the children using the “total difficulties score”, a screening tool that can help identify potential behavioural or emotional issues in children and young people.Researchers found outdoor play had a positive effect on children’s social-emotional skills, meaning they were better able to understand, manage and express their emotions and behaviours, as well as interact with the world around them and build relationships.The study, funded by the Medical Research Council and due to be published in the Wellbeing, Space & Society journal, also uncovered different patterns of outdoor play based on ethnicity.
Children of white British heritage played outside more on school days while those of south Asian heritage played outside more on weekends.The findings also suggest children living in less deprived communities benefit more from outdoor play than those in more deprived communities, perhaps reflecting the quality of outdoor spaces and play provision.The lead researcher Dr Mark Ferguson said: “There’s established evidence showing outdoor play has declined by a lot, which is worrying because it is linked to various health issues, including obesity, anxiety and depression.“We need to take proactive steps to encourage outdoor activities and ensure children lead healthy and active lives.Simple measures such as creating play-friendly residential areas and safer urban environments where families can relax, exercise, socialise and play can make a big difference.
But it’s important to remember cultural differences and engage with communities to make these initiatives successful.”Prof Rosie McEachan, the director of the Born in Bradford programme, said: “This study shows how important it is for children’s mental health to get off their screens and play outdoors after school and at weekends.“We are lucky in Bradford to have many beautiful parks and green spaces, but these findings show that the local streets in which we live are just as important a space for children, and we need to make sure they are safe and welcoming spaces, free from traffic and pollution.”The former children’s commissioner Anne Longfield, now executive chair of the Centre for Young Lives, called on the government to establish a new national play strategy.She said: “Play is one of the most powerful tools to boost children’s social skills, physical activity, wellbeing and confidence.
Yet too many of our children are spending their most precious years sedentary, on their phones and often alone, while their health and wellbeing deteriorates.“We have to break down the barriers that are preventing so many of our children from playing – as part of their education in school, in their local parks and in neighbourhoods where they live.Play must become part of childhood again.”Earlier this year, a report by the Raising the Nation Play Commission concluded that a failure to provide children with the spaces they need outside the home, due to traffic-dominated streets, loss of funding for playgrounds and the decline in youth clubs, was leading to a huge loss of outdoor play and independence.Last year, the Guardian reported that shrinking outside space at schools and less time in the day for play were having a damaging impact on children’s wellbeing and physical health.
A government spokesperson said £100m was being invested in sports facilities in schools and communities, while the National Education Nature Park scheme was helping schools transform their grounds into greener spaces.“We recognise the vital importance of play and access to nature, as we work to fulfil our mission to create the healthiest and happiest generation of children,” the spokesperson said.
Police warn protesters not to travel to Epping after asylum hotel ruling – as it happened
The leader of Epping Forest district council has called for calm after the court of appeal ruled asylum seekers can stay at the Bell hotel in Essex.Councillor Chris Whitbread told Times Radio:I call for calm. There’s been peaceful protests and there’s been non peaceful protests outside the hotel.He added:We saw yesterday the government say that asylum seekers have more rights than my residents. I’m really cross with this ruling
Court orders seizure of counterfeit underwear seller’s £90m assets
A self-styled clothing tycoon who sold counterfeit socks and pants while operating an extensive fraud ring will have all his UK assets seized after the Crown Prosecution Service won a court order to confiscate up to £90m worth of property and luxury cars.Arif Patel, 57, from Preston, Lancashire, who has been on the run since 2011, will have homes and business premises he owned taken from him after a confiscation order granted by a judge at Chester crown court on Thursday.His Ferrari 575 Superamerica will be sold at auction, as will property in Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.Patel masterminded a gang that was convicted in 2023 of one of the UK’s biggest VAT tax frauds in HMRC’s history.In a sequence of trades known as carousel fraud, he moved goods between different companies, creating false export and import records that he used to claim back large sums from the tax authorities
Not monsters, but truly monstrous | Brief letters
All I learned from Nick Clegg’s interview (‘If the people who ran Facebook were monsters, I wouldn’t have worked there’: Nick Clegg on tech bros, Trump and leaving Silicon Valley, 23 August) is (a) his fawning homage to his former boss means that he is keeping his career options open and (b) he still doesn’t get why people despise him for his role in the coalition government. Zuckerberg, Cameron and Osborne may not be monsters, but the real harms they have wrought and their lack of any kind of accountability, responsibility or contrition are truly monstrous.Simon CollinYate, Gloucestershire A letter (22 August) perpetuates the claim that Angela Rayner is bent on selling off allotments for development. It isn’t true, as is clear from a close reading of your 5 August article, which unfortunately had the unhelpful headline “Jeremy Corbyn warns rules on council asset sales threaten allotments”. They don’t, they haven’t been changed, and sales have actually fallen slightly
How to tax the wealthy without a wealth tax | Letters
Faiza Shaheen is misguided in her advocacy of a wealth tax (Rachel Reeves needs to find cash fast. A wealth tax really is her only viable option, 22 August).There are far more practical policies available to tax wealth as part of the progressive narrative. These are based on the idea of taxing the income from wealth rather than taxing wealth directly.This is the approach of Prof Richard Murphy’s Taxing Wealth Report 2024, which estimated a tax yield of £90bn a year from its proposals
Reform UK council removes St George and union flags over safety fears
A Reform-led council has started to remove flags and bunting displaying the St George’s cross and the union flag after concerns were raised that they could cause accidents.Durham county council issued a statement on X on Friday saying that while the council “understand and respect the community’s desire to express national pride, celebration, or remembrance, it is important to ensure such expressions do not compromise public safety”.The council claimed it had been “left with no choice but to remove bunting” after a risk assessment found that “rope involved was so strong that, had a high-sided vehicle driven into it, the poles it was attached to could have been pulled down”.The statement said the council’s “priority remains ensuring the safety and integrity of the highway network, while being mindful of, and responsive to, the communities we serve”. It encouraged residents “to consider safer and more appropriate locations for flags or other displays that do not involve highway infrastructure and conform to all appropriate standards and regulations”
Starmer names former Bank deputy governor as his chief economic adviser
The former Bank of England deputy governor Minouche Shafik is set to join Keir Starmer’s team as chief economic adviser.In a boost to the prime minister’s office in the run-up to the autumn budget, Lady Shafik is expected to take on the role after a year heading a Foreign Office review of the government’s foreign aid spending.A member of the House of Lords, Shafik resigned last year as the president of Columbia University after criticism of the treatment of Jewish students during anti-Israel protests at the institution’s New York campus.Shafik was previously head of the London School of Economics, a deputy governor of the International Monetary Fund and the top civil servant at the now defunct Department for International Development. In 2019 she was touted as a possible contender to replace Mark Carney as the Bank of England’s governor
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