What the current average spend per child is on play provision in Scotland, and how this compares with England and Wales.

The Scottish Government does not hold information centrally on average current spend on play per child in Scotland and does not hold such data for England or Wales.The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all children across Scotland can access high quality play opportunities in a range of settings that will aid their growth, development and wellbeing. In March 2025 we published Scotland’s Play Vision Statement and Action Plan 2025-2030 that builds on our 2013 play strategy and emphasises our commitment to play and our vision for the future of play in Scotland.The Scottish Government is also making the following investments in programmes that support play opportunities for children across Scotland:£60 million to renew play parks during the course of this Parliamentary term;£500,000 in 2025/26 for the Outdoor Community Play Fund to increase play opportunities for children and families in disadvantaged communities;£1.8 million funding to Scottish Book Trust to deliver the Bookbug Programme in 2025-26;£645,000 funding to Smart Play Network for the delivery of PlayTalkRead programme in 2025-2026;£250,000 funding to Actify, Inspiring Scotland and partners to explore how the reach and impact of Active Play can be extended across Scotland;Through the CYPFEI & ALEC and CYPFAL third sector funds we fund organisations that promote play, such as Starcatchers (£157,500), Play Scotland (£210,000), Outside the Box (£34,125), Learning through Landscapes (£52,500) and the Yard (£94,500);In a joint initiative with the Scottish Football Association, £5.5 million to fund the ‘Extra Time Programme’ in 2025-2026, supporting local football clubs and trusts to provide before, after school and holiday clubs to targeted primary school children from low-income families.