This article was written in May 2019, well before COVID made things much worse for children.
“Political pressure has ousted play from children’s lives, at a huge cost. That cost will be seen when they are older, when they need to think creatively. We expect our children to write creatively, but with less experience than ever of real life. This is not a compromise for us; it’s a duty because our children need it.”
“What does he think is happening in a child’s mind when they are restricted from playing and exploring the world in a way that they enjoy? “I think you invalidate the child, you create a particular sort of conformity. I am hearing from universities and sixth forms that, when you ask students for opinions, quite often they are unwilling or unsure how to express a view of their own.””
“Do you have the right to investigate the world, to play with it – or do you feel that you are receiving the world and are dominated by it?”