Access Compass guide
Inclusive playgrounds: find, check and improve local play
Use Scope’s accessibility snapshot safely, assess whether a playground works for a particular child and find the right council route for practical improvements.
Published by Access Compass · How we research and check guides
Who it's for: everyone, Families, Parents & carers, Children & young people, Professionals
✓ Verified Last checked 19 Jul 2026. Always confirm details with the service before relying on them.
The road travelled
Where we came from
Disabled children were frequently offered access to the edge of a playground but little equipment they could use with siblings and friends. Families challenged the idea that a path or one token item made a play space inclusive.
Where we are now
Scope’s Let’s Play Fair campaign and PiPA framework distinguish physical access from meaningful inclusive play. Scope’s public map records 1,004 playground visits by campaigners in 2023, but Scope states that the public data is not verified and new playgrounds are not currently being added.
Where we are heading
Families are campaigning for local authorities and designers to co-produce playgrounds using universal design, solid routes, varied play, rest, safety and accessible information. Progress also needs maintained equipment and current descriptions, not only better opening-day designs.
People and campaigns that moved this forward
- Disabled children and their families — Documented exclusion and showed that access means playing with other children, not merely entering the site.
- Scope Let’s Play Fair — Coordinates campaigning, research, a public playground snapshot and practical local-authority action guidance.
- PiPA Play — Developed an independent framework for assessing inclusive outdoor play provision with families and campaigners.
- Local campaigners and councils — Can turn evidence about barriers into maintenance, redesign, procurement and planning decisions.
Step by step
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Use Scope’s map as a dated community snapshot
The map can help identify places to investigate, but its 2023 data was supplied by members of the public, is not verified by Scope and is not currently accepting new playgrounds. Do not treat a green pin as a current guarantee.
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Check the whole journey
Look at parking, public transport, dropped kerbs, gates, path width and surface, gradients, seating, shade, toilets and the route between each feature—not just the play equipment.
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Check whether there is meaningful play
Ask what the child can do independently or with support, whether equipment allows shared play, whether transfer is required, and whether there are movement, imaginative, social, sensory and quieter options.
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Confirm safety without creating exclusion
Check fencing, road and water risks, sightlines, surfacing, damaged equipment and quiet retreat options. Avoid assuming every disabled child needs the same safety features or sensory environment.
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Identify who owns the playground
Responsibility may sit with a unitary, district, borough, parish or town council, housing provider, school, attraction or private operator. Use the site notice and council asset information before sending a request.
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Campaign with specific evidence
Use photographs, measurements, the child’s experience, maintenance reports and Scope/PiPA principles to ask for a defined change. Separate urgent hazards from longer-term redesign and ask how disabled children will be included in planning.