Friendships for Y7

[Dinnertime22]

Just that really. It has been a difficult first year for them. My DS has got on fine, but really wants to meet up with some friends outside of school at the local park/area.
I am just trying to get an idea of how often this happens? It seems he is struggling to find a friend to do this with?

Very common here. Though less common since Covid as, for example, they've been discouraged from hanging around outside school but asked to disperse.
In Year 7, it was really common for the DC to post/answer group chat posts which were along the lines of "going to xyz park on Saturday afternoon; anyone want to join me?" and would just go and hang out with whoever.
Making plans with specific friends was a bit more sporadic. In Year 7, they are still transitioning from parents making plans to making plans themselves, and of course there's been a lot of this year when they couldn't meet up at all. Tell your DS to persevere :) He is probably best making more specific offers "do you want to come to town on Sunday?" than more general "do you want to meet sometime?".