 | Schools 'sitting on £2 billion of taxpayers' cash
Ministers have threatened to raid school bank accounts as it emerged they are hoarding almost £2 billion of taxpayers’ money. |
 | Balls pledges more investment for children
Children's Secretary Ed Balls will today set out his plans to carry on investing in children's services against a backdrop of a ferocious public sector spending squeeze. |
 | Nursery funding change postponed
Controversial plans to re-work the way English local authorities fund nursery education are being delayed because of problems with their implementation. |
 | 15,000 more primary school places
An extra 15,000 primary school places are going to be created in England to help areas suffering from a shortage, particularly in London. |
 | Blinkered parents fuel childhood obesity, says report
Seven out of 10 parents think their child takes plenty of exercise, despite only one in 10 doing enough, says British Heart Foundation poll |
 | Scientists give grubby children a clean bill of health
For parents too stretched to make sure their offspring are perfectly turned out at all times, it may just be the scientific cover they've been waiting for. |
| Major reform to curriculum at the heart of a renewed push to drive up standards
• Teachers welcome more flexibility in the primary curriculum
• Evolution made compulsory and importance of British history confirmed in new areas of learning |
 | Darling and Balls clash in spending row
Cabinet rivals Ed Balls and Alistair Darling were today embroiled in a row over spending. |
 | Children turned into 'mini-adults'
Children are being treated as “mini-adults” by society, according to an academic. |
 | Ed Balls 'seeks £2.6bn boost for education spending'
Schools secretary approaches Treasury with request for 4% increase in spending, report claims |
 | Schools 'too safe' teachers say
Nearly half of teachers believe the health and safety culture in schools is damaging children's learning and development, a survey suggests. |
 | The DCSF announce 500 new play areas now open
Ed Balls says Local Authorities should work widely with children and parents to ensure the next 3,000 sites go where the community want them. |
 | Cotton wool culture stifling the nation's children
Parents must shake-off the cotton-wool culture and just let children be children, council leaders said today, as they pledged to put the adventure back into the nation’s playtimes. |
 | BSF programme 'over optimistic'
A multi-billion pound scheme to rebuild England's secondary schools was over-optimistic, poorly planned and has led to disappointment, MPs have said. |
 | Traditional playground activities to be turned into computer games
Clapping and skipping games popular in the school playground are to be made into Wii-style computer games for the Nintendo generation. |
 | Outdoor safety is child’s play for Playforce customers.
The country’s leading provider of outdoor play equipment for schools has launched a new School Aftercare Pack, designed to help schools keep their children playing safely. |
 | Playforce makes it to the BBC!
Courtesy of Julia, who was interviewed by Heather Skull, of BBC Radio Wiltshire on Thursday 22nd January. |
 | New School Playground Funding Guide from Playforce
Playforce, one of the country’s leading names of school playground design and bespoke play equipment structures, has launched a School Playground Funding Guide. Download your copy today! |
 | Playforce on the Right Track
Playforce, a leading UK school playground equipment provider, has been listed in The Sunday Times Virgin Fast Track 100 for the second year running. |
 | People's Millions for Mapledene Primary School Playground Equipment
You could have heard a pin drop in the assembly hall... |
 | 1 Million Pupils Suffer as Sport gets the Red Card
Almost a million children are not doing enough exercise because thousands of schools are squeezing sport off the timetable.
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 | Getting Pupils Active for 2012
A NEW educational pack is being launched to encourage more physical activity in primary, junior and infant schools in Essex as part of the build up to the 2012 Games.
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 | Health and safety red tape has produced a generation of 'bland' children scared of risk, headteacher
Playtime: Britain's compensation culture threatens to produce a generation of children unaware of how to take risks |
 | Making Playforce fun for Red Nose Day
Fun and frolics for Playforce staff supporting Comic Relief |
 | Playforce grows its Marketing team with the addition of new face Eleanore Bain
Eleanore joins Playforce as Marketing Manager, She will work with Head of Marketing Julia Budniak and Creative Design Manager Mark Bishop |
| Its official Playforce is one of the fastest growing companies in the UK
Playforce a leading UK provider, has been listed in the Sunday Times Virgin Fast Track 100 |
 | A School's play area is just as important as it's buildings by Julia Budniak
A school’s play area is just as important as its buildings.  Whilst a child’s learning is undoubtedly enhanced by a well-designed structural environment, they can also be significantly damaged if that environment doesn’t include a well thought out pl |
 | Wood Every Time by Andrew Whittles
When it comes to choosing between wood and steel, there is really no contest as far as designers at leading playground manufacturers Playforce are concerned. |
 | Playing Equals Learning by Julia budniak
When you look back at your own childhood, what is it, that you remember? We each have our own answers, of course, but i suspect that a common thread will be having the time and space to play. |
 | Planning For Growth
Edward Webb will continue his role as MD, said “We have experienced industry leading growth over the last three years with a particular emphasis on the Education sector. I am delighted to have secured funding and expertise from ISIS to push forward our gr |
 | Meet the Playforce Team at the 2008 Education Show Stand T19
Meet the Playforce Team at the 2008 Education Show stand T19 |
 | Play and Learning Children's Plan
The Children's Plan, a £1bn 10-year strategy for education, welfare and play, has been set out by ministers. |
 | Fear 'stops child development'
Youngsters are missing out on their childhood because we over-protect them, a child play expert claims |
 | Children's Plan allocates 225m towards play areas
The new Children's Plan out lined in December by secretary of state for children, schools and families, Ed Balls, includes investing £225m in playgrounds and a further £160m to improving the quality and range of things for young people to do. |
| Children 'not exercising enough'
Only one in 40 11-year-olds meets the national target of an hour of physical exercise a day, say researchers.
A University of Bath study of 5,595 children found that 95% of boys and 99.6% of girls fell short of this time. |
 | No outdoor play 'hurts children'
Children's health is suffering because they are losing the chance to paly outside, a group of experts has warned. |
| How to make your kids school smart
tips on getting children off to a good start for the new school year |
 | Tough exercise
sports clubs offering sport for visually impaired children. |
 | Diet link to bad behaviour
A survey of more than 10,000 children funded by Organix found children who regularly ate junk food were nearly three times more likely to behave badly than those who avoided it completely |
 | Oliver’s plan fails as pupils snub healthy school meals
Most papers report on figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats yesterday which show the Government is almost a million children below its 2009 target for encouraging more children to take up the healthy school meals |
 | Health warning on lunch boxes
Research carried out by the School Food Trust shows children taking a school meal are more likely to be eating vegetables and fruit and filling up on bread than children eating packed lunches. |
 | Half of all children in Britain could be obese by 2050
Sophie Borland reports that the Government warned yesterday that almost half of all children risk being dangerously overweight by 2050. |
| New Website for Playforce
Playforce, the UK’s Premier provider of school playground equipment, has a new website which not only provides comprehensive details about the company’s products but also acts as an online information store. |
 | A quiet revolution in schools presents a fitter picture
Gordon Brown announced a £100m increased investment for school-age sport. |
 | Give kids a break’
schools should have longer lunch breaks so children could do more sport |
 | Drive to get children playing outdoors
21 per cent of children play outside every day |
 | Free fruit at school has little benefit says study published in health journal
A Government scheme launched three years ago to give children free fruit has failed to improve children’s health. |
 | Obese children risk being stigmatised
Overweight children are being put at risk of being bullied |
 | Middle-class children are more likely to be over weight
children of wealthier parents are more likely to be over-weight than poorer ones. |
| Work out with the kids at the playground
mothers can get fit by playing with their children at the playground |
| Imaginative Role Play Playforce New Tunnel Train
A tunnel train complete with a passenger carriage and sand pit carriage has been devised by Playforce for school playgrounds. |
 | Children’s behaviour improved by school sport
hildren are misbehaving in the classroom because of a lack of opportunity to play sport. |
 | Take obese children from parents, say doctors
overfeeding to be considered a form of parental neglect or abuse. |
 | Quarter of toddlers overweight or obese
An Institute for Child Health study of 14,000 children born 2000 - 2002 found 18 per cent were overweight |
 | How playgrounds keep the old young
playground for pensioners in Germany |
| Childhood freedoms curtailed by parents
children should not be allowed out until they are 16 |
 | Ever decreasing circles
The mental health of 21st century children is at risk |
 | keep children safe but don’t rap them in cotton wool
Traditional games such as conker and snowball fights could be revived to prevent children turning into “cotton wool kids” |
 | Playforce a Leading UK Playground Equipment Provider Wins National Award
Playforce, a leading UK playground equipment provider based in Wiltshire, has walked away from the national finals of the British Small Business Champions (BSBC) award ceremony in London with two sparkling trophies. |
 | Why my school does not need a playground
School will have no playground |
 | Top Finance Director Drawn to Prosperous School Playground Equipment Company Playforce
A top Finance Director has joined the team of Playforce, Wiltshire Business of the Year, drawn by the company’s quality service and rapid growth. |
 | Pupils on the Ropes and They Love it
Going to school has never been so much fun for some Bedworth pupils after new playground equipment was installed in the Early Years Foundation Stage area by Playforce the UK’ premier provider of Playground equipment for schools. |
| Playforce Marathon Run Raises Money for Local Charity
The fourteen members of Playforce staff who took part in the Nationwide Bath Half Marathon raised £2700 for the Bristol-based children’s charity Hop Skip and Jump. |
 | Young Playground Equipment Company Wins Wiltshire Business of the Year Award
When Edward Webb first decided to start his own business with a £5000 Prince’s Trust loan, he little imagined that, just eight years on, he would be stepping on to a stage to accept the highly prestigious Wiltshire Business of the Year Award. |
| Playing Equals Learning
When you look back at your own childhood, what is it, that you remember? We’ll each have our own answers, of course, but I suspect that a common thread will be having the time and space to play. |
 | Local Commercial Playground Equipment Company Plans Bulgarian Orphanage Make-Over
CONDITIONS for orphans in Bulgaria – a country soon to become a member of the European Union – are often diabolical. |
 | Business Boom Creates New Jobs at Local Playground Equipment Company
Playforce, Wiltshire’s Business of the Year, has increased its Consulting Team to cope with a significant growth in workload. |
| Schools are ordered to give lessons in yoga
yoga is set to become compulsory in Indian schools |
 | Worried parents are paying for children to get fit at gym
Helen Nugent reports that child membership of Britain’s major private leisure chains has increased by nearly 40% over the past three years. |
 | Fruit fools
Ruki Sayid reports on drinks that are bad for kids. |
 | School nurses go in to class
The Mirror reports that Ministers will be told every school should have its own nurse |
 | Huge increase in cases of diabetes among children
A number of papers report on a study carried out by the University of Bristol which found that the number of very young children with Type 1 diabetes has risen dramatically in the last 20 years. |
| Childhood obesity
tips on beating obesity |
 | 15 minutes football ‘can halve obesity risk’
children becoming obese could be halved with 15 minutes of moderately vigorous exercise each day. |
 | Parents are focus of new childhood anti-obesity education campaign
new anti-obesity campaign launched by the government |
 | Blame the junk food
Professor Terence Wilkin of Plymouth University blames the rise in childhood obesity purely on larger portion sizes of unhealthy foods |
| Fat pupils on fish oils make a mental leap
A number of papers report on research carried out at St George’s Hospital, southwest London, which found overweight children who took fatty acid dietary supplements showed dramatic improvements in concentration, reading, memory and mental agility. |
| School Playground Equipment Workers Run for Charity
CHILDREN’S charity Hop Skip and Jump is to benefit from the blood sweat and blisters of a team from a local company as they run for sponsorship in the Bath Half Marathon next week. |
 | Play is an Important Part of Sustainable Development by Julia Budniak
At a time when each and everyone of us is finally becoming more aware of the need for sustainable development in order to try and preserve our world, we are told that the most expensive state school ever to be built in Britain won’t have a playground. |
| School Sport Matters
primary-school children are heading towards serious health problems in later life.  |
 | by 2010 every child will have the opportunity of four hours of sport a week
Two hours of sport within the curriculum but also provide the means outside normal teaching hours for at least another two hours |
 | Britain is the worst country in the industrialised world in which to be a child, closely followed by
The UNICEF charity looked at 40 indicators to gauge the lives of children in 21 economically advanced nations -- the first study of its kind -- and found Britain's children were among the poorest and most neglected |
 | Playforce Creates Playground Equipment Environments by Julia Budniak
As adults, we often sit and wonder at the seemingly endless energy and drive that children put into their play. Their minds wander in and out of imaginative spaces very easily, engaging in role-play, living out scenarios, and exploring the world around th |
| Pupils given pedometers to fight obesity
45,000 pedometers will be handed out to primary school children |
 | MPs warn of obesity risks ‘to an entire generation’
Obesity costs the nation around £3.5 billion |
 | Our children eat the most junk in Europe
British children consume more confectionary and fizzy drinks than children from any other nation in Europe. |
 | Too much, too young
children have never been fatter or so prone to eating disorders |
 | New Adventure Timber Trail at Wyberton
School time has become a little bit more of a timber trail adventure down at Wyberton Primary. |
 | School Opens New Adventure Timber Trail
Forest and Sandridge School has opened a new adventure timber trail course in their playground, funded by money donated to the school, and raised by the Parents Teachers Association (PTA). |
 | Brighter Better Playground Equipment for Ceredigion Children
Playforce, the UK’s premier provider of school playground equipment, has won a contract to fit timber trails and activity zones at eight Welsh schools based on the high quality of the products it produces and the service it provides. |
| Playforce the UK's Provider of Playground Eqiupment Industry Professional Comment
For many schools making the most of their outside space is at the bottom of a long list of things to do. However encouraging exercise through play could well be fundamental in helping to solve the problem of obesity in our children. |
 | It's Now Playtime for Everyone
Children from a special school in Chippenham are having extra fun enjoying a new accessible outdoor playground. |
 | Torfaen Lea Finds Playforce Playground Equipment Simply the Best
Playforce, the UK’s premier provider of school playground equipment, has been awarded a significant contract by Torfaen County Borough Council based on the high quality of the timber playground products it produces and the service it provides. |
 | Playforce the Premier Provider of Playground Equipment Becomes Example of Business Excellence
Playforce has been recognised for its high playground equipment quality products and excellent service by being awarded Beacon Company status by the Government-backed organisation Beacon South West. |
| Top Creative Designer Joins Playforce
Top Creative Designer, Mark Bishop, has joined Wiltshire-based Playforce, the country’s premier provider of playground equipment. |
 | All Aboard
Playtime for pupils at West Buckland Primary School has just got better with the arrival of the new climbing frames and adventure timber trail playground equipment. |
 | New Head of Marketing for Playforce the UK's Premier Provider of School Playground Equipment
Playforce Ltd, the UK’s premier provider of playground equipment, has a dynamic new Head of Marketing. |
 | School Playground Equipment Company Rides Coast to Coast for Children's Charity
Playforce, a local company which manufactures high quality school playground equipment, is planning to raise thousands of pounds for the Bristol-based charity Hop, Skip and Jump. |
 | Children Swing into Action at New Playground
Youngsters at a city school are enjoying a new outdoor playground area despite the wet weather. |
 | Building Dream Playground Equipment in Village
Playforce has made play time more fun for children by teaming up with television show fronted by Linda Barker. |