Playwork 2012 Entry

Certificate/Diploma in Higher Education/Honours Degree/Graduate Diploma

There’s more to child’s play than first meets the eye.
It’s not just about cutting sticking and glueing, kicking a football or playing nicely.

So what is it all about? Is it about children developing into adults? About children learning? About self exploration? Is it about children being children? About evolution and survival? Is it about dealing with emotions and the inner psyche? Or about resilience and adaptability?

By navigating your way through a breadth of academic disciplines including psychology, sociology, natural science and neuroscience, the answers to all of these questions will be explored and many more raised — that’s a promise!

Our playwork programme takes you, the playwork practitioner, on a journey of self-discovery and reflection. You will delve into classical and contemporary theories of play and debate cutting-edge theorising and thinking on play with leading academics in the field.

You’ll explore the role of the adult in the arena of play and the conflicting child, adult, social and political agendas that you are working within.

What you’ll gain from our programme is the language to articulate to other professionals the unique nature of children’s play and its relevance to the current social policy agenda together with a greater depth of understanding in your role of supporting children’s opportunities to play.

Some of our modules

Play and Playwork Principles
Developing Provision for Play in the Community
Disciplinary Perspectives on Play and Playwork
Therapeutic Playwork
The Brain at Play
Ethics and Professionalism in Playwork
Playing Out

Benefits

designed for playworkers by playworkers to reflect the needs and aspirations within the sector
offered part-time via distance learning
an academic programme that draws upon a broad range of academic disciplines to support students’ refection upon practice

Career Paths

playworker
play development officer
children’s workforce development officer

Are there any placements for this course?

All students are required to be working in the playwork sector and some modules require that students undertake face-to-face work with children.

How will the course be assessed?

Coursework, essays, projects, reports, online discussion and presentationsPart Time

Entry requirements

This programme is available to people who are working within the play and playwork sector supporting play opportunities for children aged 4-15 years of age in the child’s leisure time. There is a requirement that students will need access to face-to-face work with school-aged children for some modules

Location

Occasional study days at Oxstalls

Profile: Anna-Marie Millbank

"Undertaking this course has enabled me to gain a greater academic understanding on the wide range of disciplines associated with the field of Playwork."

Playwork (BA Hons)

I chose the University of Gloucestershire as it was the only university to deliver the BA Hons in Playwork via distance learning, which enabled me to progress through the course at a pace suitable to my needs and was dependent on having an active role as a playworker at a play setting.

In the first instance, I attended an open day specific to the Playwork Distance Learning programme. It was a very inspiring and informative day and provided the opportunity to meet the field chair and the programme lecturers. It also provided the opportunity to meet potential fellow students and begin the crucial process of networking and developing support partnerships. Key determining factors in my enrolment were the ability to complete the levels of the degree programme in a step-by-step award process and the knowledge, experience and reputation of the lecturers.

I found the distance learning programme to be unique and designed for the wide range of people active in the field of playwork across many levels. Undertaking this course has enabled me to gain a greater academic understanding on the wide range of disciplines associated with the field of Playwork. Having a high level of understanding and qualification leads to increased confidence and knowledge and has enabled me to articulate the importance of play and provide a better play environment for children.

I have completed a number of volunteer roles within a local council-run playscheme. I provided support and mentoring to a number of site leaders at various play settings, helping them to facilitate the play setting and offering advice and guidance to site leaders, playworkers, parents, children and management. I am one-to-one support playworker for children with specific needs and offer help and advice to parents.

My advice to any student who is planning their career or thinking about applying for a job would be to believe in yourself and your abilities and to portray confidence in your chosen field of expertise. Always be inquisitive with lecturers and strive to increase your knowledge. Do not be afraid to list and talk about your achievements and believe passionately in what you do.

High points of my time at the university include the satisfaction of completing each stage of the degree process, the fact that the in-depth knowledge gained on a range of disciplines provided me with the confidence to present at a number of international conferences on Playwork and, finally, having several academic articles published. The contacts made during my time networking with high level academics has provided the opportunity to continue my studies and I will be starting a Masters programme in New York. I will be taking all of my experience and knowledge gained from my time at the University of Gloucestershire and sharing it with colleagues and students in the USA.

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