SkillsActive meet with Department for Education to discuss playwork sector issues

SkillsActive - 30/07/10

SkillsActive and Play England had an extremely positive joint meeting with Dame Clare Tickell and the Department for Education yesterday to raise key issues from the playwork sector.

This is the start of the review process and the continued engagement with the DfE by both organisations over a long period of time has ensured the concerns of the sector enjoy a high profile.

The review will be a fundamental one and both organisations went to great lengths to explain the impact not only of the EYFS on employers and practitioners, but also of the impact of the inspection regime. They stressed that the issue was primarily with the learning and development requirements and explained the role and approach of the playworker.

SkillsActive left Dame Tickell with a copy of the Playwork Principles and a list of key issues raised by the sector. Both organisations stressed the importance for the sector of the review and the need to drastically reduce the huge impact it had had on the sector.

Chris Martin, SkillsActive senior policy manager for playwork said: “I found the meeting very positive. I felt that not only have the concerns of the sector been listened to but that Dame Tickell understands that children need to play, sometimes at the edge of chaos. I am also confident we have explained the need for qualified playworkers”

A call for evidence goes out on August 2, and Dame Tickell’s report to Government will be released in the spring. SkillsActive will be consulting its members and stakeholders as well as working with Play England to engage the sector with this process.

You can read more about the impact of recent political changes in Chris Martin's recent blog post.