As part of a series, the News Shopper has been looking into the accessibility of playgrounds across south east London, speaking to parents and carers of disabled children to find out how they feel about accessible play in their boroughs.
How accessible are south east London’s playgrounds?
In information gathered from requests sent to the relevant councils, along with audits as part of Scope’s Play Fair Campaign and independent audits, we have looked at 192 of south east London’s playgrounds and concluded that:
- All playgrounds have step-free access, although there may be instances where paths are uneven, or gates are too narrow for wheelchair users, or you have to cross grass to get to the playground.
- 119 playgrounds have a least one piece of ‘accessible’ or ‘inclusive’ equipment.
- 51 playgrounds have a disabled toilet on site or nearby.
- 34 playgrounds have disabled parking on site or nearby.
You can use the interactive guide below to find details for each south east London playground.
‘Every local authority should be taking an audit’
Labour MP for Belvedere Daniel Francis, who also cares for his disabled daughter, says it’s not just about having accessible equipment, it’s also about having accessible information for parents like him.
Mr Francis said: “I accept that local authority finance is in a very difficult position.
“But there is no reason why every local authority shouldn’t be undertaking that audit to understand which playgrounds have accessible equipment and which don’t.
“Then there’s no reason when they’re bringing forward investment plans, why they shouldn’t then be understanding.
“A lot of the time the argument is being used that accessible equipment is slightly more expensive than non-accessible equipment.
“But that’s like saying that some children are entitled to playground equipment and some children aren’t.
“So they should be undertaking that audit, and then they should be bringing forward a programme of works when they do use their capital investment, to bring forward investment in playgrounds to make them more accessible.”
In February 2024, the government announced the Disability Action Plan, which will set out to improve the everyday lives of disabled people through a 32-part plan across 14 areas.
The fifth section of the plan pledges to “make playgrounds more accessible” through two areas, by creating an online hub of accessible playground guidance on the Gov.uk website, along with the pledge to work with local authorities to raise awareness of the need for more accessible playgrounds.
‘Parks need more access for wheelchair users’
For parents like Dawn Wignall, whose son requires the use of a wheelchair, playgrounds need to have step-free accessible equipment as well as accessible swings for him to use.
Dawn said: “A lot of parks lack basic things for wheelchair users to be able to play on, like accessible swings and roundabouts.
“But also sensory things that you can play with that would be at wheelchair height and appropriate for children with sensory needs.”
In 2023, the UK disability charity Scope asked parents and carers of disabled children across the UK to do an audit of the accessibility at their local playgrounds.
In a survey, parents were asked a range of questions from playground security to wheelchair access and provisions for carers.
27 playgrounds across south east London were surveyed including 6 in Bromley, 2 in Greenwich, 12 in Lewisham and 7 in Southwark, but none in Bexley.
According to Scope’s findings, 1 playground received a Green rating, 11 an Amber rating, and 15 a Red rating, compared with 14 playgrounds across London which were surveyed and received a Green rating.
‘It’s about looking at the overall experience for everyone’
Gemma Graham, a support worker in Bromley working with disabled children, spoke about how playgrounds need to adapt to “cater for the needs of everyone” and added that some areas “still need improvement”.
Gemma said: “One of the biggest needs in terms of playgrounds is for provisions for children with sensory disabilities.
“There’s a real need for accessible swings for older children with disabilities, particularly children with cognitive disabilities.
“Because they can’t sit unaided on an adult swing, but they are too small to use children’s swings, so they need basket swings.
“Another high need involves safety and having lockable gates, a lot of people presume children with cognitive disabilities can’t open gates, which isn’t true.
“Gates at a lot of parks are slide-fit gates which are easy to open, which is a real concern for a lot of parents, so just making these parks more accessible and secure for them is really important.”
But it’s not also accessibility for cognitive needs that needs to be improved, Gemma told News Shopper that she felt that more parks needed to offer more accessibility for wheelchair users, as well as things to improve the “overall experience” for disabled children and family members.
Gemma added: “Parks also need more on offer for wheelchair users too, some parks already have this but not all have accessible roundabouts that are step-free.
“But it’s also other things like having parks with shaded areas and enough seating for those who need it and just generally making them inclusive.
“It’s about looking at the overall experience for everyone.”
‘Accessible parks are also important for disabled parents too’
It’s not just disabled children that benefit from park accessibility, it’s disabled parents too.
Emma Bailey, from Bromley, lives with a visual impairment and has a son named River who has cognitive disabilities including Global Developmental Delay and Autism.
For Emma, having accessible playgrounds that have clear colour contrast and shaded areas due to her photosensitivity are some of the things she needs to be able to have a positive experience when taking her son to the park.
Emma said: “I don’t feel playgrounds always cater to both disabled children and their parents, things like having benches to sit on and shaded areas are really important for me.
“River has a lot of energy and because I can’t see I need to take him somewhere that he can run around safely and securely without being able to get into any danger.
“But it can be difficult to find places locally sometimes.”
‘More information on accessibility in playgrounds is needed – and in a more logical way’
For parents like Catherine from Lewisham, whose son is autistic and requires sensory equipment as well as securely locked play areas, it can often be difficult to find new playgrounds to visit.
Catherine explained: “Usually I resort to a combination of Google Maps and Google Street View, and personal references on the various Facebook groups that are out there for parents of disabled children.
“I don’t think that the information is presented in a logical way from the perspective of the borough councils and the local authorities around saying ‘we have thought about this’.”
She added that one example of this was Bromley’s Cator Park, where Google Maps doesn’t clearly show that the playground is not enclosed.
Catherine added: “I went there with my son one day, noticed this problem – I was on my own and my husband wasn’t with me – and my son decided to bolt directly towards the dual carriageway.
“I slipped so badly that we ended up trying to decide whether I needed an A&E for a broken foot.
“So I think that having information on what each playground offers clearly for different needs is so important.”
‘Our children want to feel included’
The News Shopper spoke to 12 parents of children with a wide range of disability and additional needs at Willow Dene Primary School in Woolwich.
These 12 parents took part in a discussion panel, where they were asked a series of questions about their experiences finding and using playgrounds in Greenwich with their disabled children.
When asked about their experiences:
- Eight out of 12 parents have to travel out of borough to use a playground on a regular basis.
- 10 out of 12 parents would say they have to spend more money to get to a playground that’s accessible on a weekly basis.
- 12 parents say that they wouldn’t use their local park because it’s not accessible.
- 11 out of 12 parents say that if their playgrounds were more accessible near them, they would take their child to the playground more on a regular basis.
In a discussion panel, 12 parents from Greenwich say that they wouldn’t use their local park because it’s not accessible. (Image: Royal Borough of Greenwich)
One parent, Sarah Dugdale, said that inaccessible playgrounds and parks pose issues for her daughter’s mobility and independence.
Sarah’s daughter is visually impaired due to Nystagmus and also has mobility issues, and is currently awaiting an Autism diagnosis.
Sarah explained: “My daughter can’t use a normal ladder, as she wouldn’t be able to go up, and so she would need stairs or handrails, but there aren’t many climbing frames in the borough with them.
“If there’s an uneven pathway, I’m always having to walk with her and she gets frustrated because she wants to walk on her own and be independent.
“She just wants to join in and as parents we want our children to feel part of the community.”
‘Every child should have an equal right to play’
In a statement, the charity Scope told the News Shopper that many children across the UK are currently unable to enjoy accessible play at their local playground, leaving them feeling “shut out”.
James Taylor, Director of Strategy at Disability Equality Charity Scope, said: “Every child should have an equal right to play. Yet many disabled children can’t enjoy their local playground because it isn’t designed for them. Leaving them and their families divided and excluded. It isn’t right that disabled children are shut out.
“We’ve developed our Playground Accessibility Map to be used as a tool for campaigners to explain the local need for more accessible equipment in their playgrounds.
“It can also be used for families to see where their nearest accessible playground is, to avoid the disappointment of turning up at a playground, only for there to be no equipment they can play on.
“Inclusive playgrounds should be available across the UK, where all children, disabled and non-disabled, can be themselves and form memories that last a lifetime.”
