The UK Playground Index

Play is an integral part of childhood, helping children develop cognitive skills, support their wellbeing and build social connections. The United Nations recognises play as a fundamental right of every child, reflecting its importance in supporting healthy development.

Our survey of 2,000 parents of children aged one to nine found that children spend around five hours a week playing outside - roughly the same amount of time they spend using screens. Yet access to good-quality outdoor spaces is not equal for every family.

To understand where children have the best access to outdoor play, we created the UK Playground Index. We analysed 100 UK locations using measures including proximity to parks and playing fields, the number of green spaces nearby, local playground ratings, safety, crime, pollution and the proportion of children aged 11 and under

We also surveyed parents to understand their experiences of local playgrounds, including how far they travel to reach them and how they feel about their quality and condition.

Key findings:

• Telford is the UK's top area for access to outdoor play, with an average of more than six parks or playing fields within a kilometre of home - while Southend-on-Sea ranks lowest of the 100 areas we analysed.

• Playgrounds are still central to childhood as more than eight in 10 parents (85%) say their child visits one at least once a week, around 10 times a month.

• Nearly nine in 10 parents (88%) say outdoor play is essential to their child's mental health, and over four in five (82%) say their child is happier and calmer after time outside.

• Three in four parents (74%) would visit their local playground more often if it felt safer.

• One in four parents (24%) say their local playground could be more accessible for children with disabilities or additional needs.

• With the under-16 restrictions on the horizon, more than half of parents (53%) expect their child to play outdoors more - and seven in 10 (70%) would back a petition for better local playgrounds.

Protecting your family, now and for the future

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The UK's state of play: children still love playgrounds, but they're playing out less

Playgrounds remain an important part of childhood, with more than eight in 10 parents (85%) saying their child visits one at least once a week - around 10 times a month.

Parents also recognise the benefits of outdoor play beyond physical activity. Nearly nine in 10 (87%) believe playing outdoors supports their child’s mental wellbeing, while more than eight in 10 say their child is happier and calmer after spending time outside.

Sue Atkins, Childhood & Parenting Expert, Author and Broadcaster, comments:

"Outdoor play gives children something the online world simply cannot replicate: whole-body, real-world experience. They move, solve problems, judge risk, learn how to get along with other people. It also gives children opportunities to regulate themselves naturally. Running, exploring and simply having space around them can help children decompress after the highly stimulating environments they increasingly encounter online.

Most importantly, outdoor play gives children agency. There isn’t always a score, an algorithm, a notification or an adult telling them what comes next. Sometimes there’s just a stick, a puddle, another child and an idea, and that is incredibly valuable for development."

Yet play has changed across generations, as half of parents (50%) say their child now spends less time playing outside than they did at the same age - with screens increasingly filling the gap.

The UK Playground Index

To identify the UK areas that rank highest (and lowest) for outdoor play, we analysed 100 UK areas across factors including proximity to parks and green spaces, pollution levels, safety indicators and playground ratings.

The 10 highest-ranking UK areas for outdoor play

Telford ranks first in our UK Playground Index. Families have an average of 6.37 parks or playing fields within one kilometre, while the nearest is just 283 metres away. The area also records low pollution levels and a safety score of 63.16 out of 100.

Cheltenham takes second place. It has the highest average playground rating in the top 10, at 4.73 out of 5, alongside low pollution levels. Residents are, on average, just 284 metres from their nearest park or playing field.

Newcastle upon Tyne completes our top three. It has an average of almost eight parks or playing fields within one kilometre - the highest figure among the top 10 - and residents are just 264 metres from their nearest park or playing field on average. Nearby playgrounds also receive an average Google rating of 4.68 out of 5.

Wrexham and Warrington follow in fourth and fifth place respectively, both benefiting from strong safety scores and good access to nearby parks and playing fields. Gloucester, Chester, Derby, Brighton and Hove, and Liverpool complete our top 10.

The lowest-ranking UK areas for outdoor play access

Our index places Southend-on-Sea lowest for outdoor play access. Families are, on average, 496 metres from their nearest park or playing field - one of the longest distances in our bottom five - and have 2.6 nearby within one kilometre. The area also records the highest pollution score in the index’s five lowest-ranking locations (63.48 out of 100), alongside a crime score of 62.29 and safety score of 37.71. However, nearby playgrounds receive a strong average Google rating of 4.63 out of 5.

Llanelli ranks second lowest. It has the longest average journey to a park or playing field among the five locations, at 518 metres, and an average of 2.73 parks or playing fields within one kilometre.

Barry completes our bottom three. While families have access to 4.18 parks or playing fields within one kilometre on average, the area records the lowest safety score in the bottom five, at 37.57 out of 100, alongside the second-highest crime score of 62.43.

Britain's best-rated playgrounds

While some areas face access challenges, others are home to the UK’s highest-rated playgrounds. To find them, we analysed Google reviews for individual playgrounds, play areas and adventure playgrounds across the 100 areas in our study.

We adjusted each playground’s Google rating against the national average of 4.34 out of 5, giving greater weight to places with more reviews. This means a playground with only a handful of five-star reviews does not outrank one that has been consistently highly rated by hundreds of visitors.

Battersea Park Playground in London takes the top spot, with a near-perfect score of 4.77 out of 5. Set in Wandsworth, it offers swings, slides and exercise equipment for active outdoor play.

Cassiobury Park Kids Playground in Watford follows with 4.71 out of 5, within a wider park that includes paddling pools and a miniature railway. Baltic Street Adventure Playground in Glasgow completes the top three, at 4.69 out of 5.

There's a striking contrast here: despite ranking 86th of 100 areas for overall access, London is home to five of the 20 best-rated playgrounds. It highlights the gap between the quality of individual playgrounds and wider access - London has one of the highest child-to-playground ratios at 866 children per playground.

Access, safety and inclusion: the barriers to outdoor play

While 47% of parents live within a 15-minute walk of a park, almost as many (46%) travel further than they'd like to reach a good-quality playground - a sign that being close to green space and being close to a good playground aren't always the same thing.

Maintenance is part of the picture. Almost six in 10 parents (59%) have seen vandalism at a local playground in the past year, and more than one in three (37%) have chosen a different playground because of a site's poor condition.

Safety is a recurring theme. Nearly half of parents (49%) worry their child could be hurt on damaged or poorly maintained equipment, and three in four (74%) would visit more often if playgrounds felt safer.

The UK areas where the fewest playgrounds are awaiting repair

To understand how outstanding playground repairs vary across the UK, we used Freedom of Information data from local authorities on the number of playgrounds they provide and the number reported as affected by an open or outstanding equipment repair.

We received responses from 111 local authorities, with 89 saying they held the relevant information. The figures are a snapshot of the repairs each council reported at the time of its response, and recording practices may vary between authorities.

Twelve councils reported that none of their playgrounds were awaiting repair. East Staffordshire had the largest reported playground network among this group, with no outstanding repairs across 80 sites. Dorset also reported no repairs across 72 playgrounds, while Reigate and Banstead and Dacorum reported none across 56 and 49 respectively.

Councils reporting no playgrounds awaiting repair

Several other councils also reported low proportions of playgrounds awaiting repair. Fermanagh and Omagh reported one affected playground out of 99 (1.01%), while Swale reported one out of 78 (1.28%). Wrexham, which reported the largest playground network among the councils with a small number of outstanding repairs, recorded seven affected sites out of 141 (4.96%).

Inclusive play remains out of reach for many families

Accessibility is a particular concern for families who rely on inclusive play spaces. Nearly three in 10 parents of children with disabilities or additional needs (29%) say their local playground is inaccessible. 

Yet playgrounds remain an important place for children to connect. Nearly half of parents (48%) say meeting and playing with other children is what their child enjoys most at a playground, ahead of the equipment itself. More than four in five (82%) also say their child appears happier and calmer after spending time outdoors.

With proposed restrictions on social media for under-16s expected to encourage more time offline, access to safe, good-quality outdoor play spaces may become even more important. More than half of parents (53%) expect their child to spend more time outdoors once the restrictions take effect, yet 44% worry there will not be enough safe places for their child to play.

This concern is reflected in the uneven access to green space across the UK. In Birmingham, the nearest park or playing field is almost 400 metres away on average, compared with around 270 metres in top-ranked areas such as Warrington and Telford.

The UK areas leading the way in playground access for disabled children

Inclusive and accessible play aims to ensure disabled and non-disabled children can play together, with spaces designed to remove barriers to participation.

To understand how provision differs across the UK, we used Freedom of Information data on the number of playgrounds local authorities provide and how many they classify as inclusive or as having accessible equipment. We received responses from 111 local authorities: 63 said they held the relevant information, while 37 did not. We included 50 of the 63 in the analysis, restricting the comparison to councils responsible for 10 or more playgrounds. As definitions and recording practices may vary between councils, the findings should be interpreted as a comparison of the provision each authority reported.

Conwy and West Northamptonshire stand out, with 100% of their council-reported playgrounds, 121 and 80 respectively, classified as inclusive and recorded as having accessible equipment. 

Other councils achieved the same perfect rate despite operating fewer playgrounds, including Reigate and Banstead (56), Erewash (49), Three Rivers (31), Harborough (28) and Fylde (21). This shows that the number of playgrounds varies considerably even among the top-performing areas.

Cheltenham follows with 98% of its playgrounds reported as inclusive and 96% as accessible, followed by Nottingham at 96% for both. 

Nearly half of parents value social play, while swings are children’s top playground feature

For parents, the social side of play matters just as much as the equipment. Nearly half (48%) value their child being able to meet and play with other children at a playground.

When asked what their children value most at a playground, parents named swings as the top feature (29%). Slides, playing with other children and open space to run around are joint second, each chosen by 24% of parents. Climbing frames or adventure equipment follow closely (23%), ahead of playing with friends or siblings (19%) and being outdoors and in nature (18%).

Methodology

We surveyed 2,000 parents of children aged one to nine across the UK to understand their and their children's experiences and perceptions of playgrounds. The survey was conducted in July 2026.

To reveal the best and worst areas for outdoor play in the UK, we analysed 100 locations across the following factors:

• Share of the population aged 11 and under

• Crime score (higher = worse)

• Safety score (higher = better)

• Pollution level (higher = worse)

• Average distance to the nearest park or playing field (in metres)

• Average number of parks or playing fields within one kilometre

• Average Google review rating for playgrounds

Data was collected in July 2026 and was accurate at the time of collection. Where local data was unavailable, the closest available proxy was used; these instances are noted in the underlying data.

To reveal the UK areas with the fewest playgrounds with outstanding repair, and the UK areas leading the way for inclusive and accessible playgrounds, we submitted Freedom of Information requests to local authorities across the country. Over 300 requests were submitted, and 111 replies were received and analysed.