Playwork national occupational standards are available from levels 2-4.
Browse the standards below:
To help ensure the services it offers meet the requirements of each of these groups SkillsActive consults with different expert groups made up of specialist representatives from training providers, employers and individuals.
Much of our work with our sectors comes through expert groups and committees, and in the playwork sector we are engaged with the following groups:
The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on play meets to consider topics relating to children's play and take political action on current issues affecting children's right to play freely.
The group enables MPs and peers to keep up to date on the latest developments in children's play and decide on actions, which influence political decision making processes.
The group is administered by SkillsActive, for more information, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The Playwork Education and Training Council for the UK, PETC UK, is a forum for the sector to discuss issues of strategic importance on all aspects of playwork education, training and qualifications.
We recognise that there are training providers who want to develop and deliver multiple training courses, which are recognised as endorsed training for CPD. If you offer a number of playwork related training courses on a regular basis which are quality assured, you may wish to be considered as a licensed provider for endorsed training.
The training provider licence allows training providers who have met the set criteria to be able to submit multiple courses for submission throughout the length of their licence.
£1355 + VAT. The endorsement period is two years.
To apply for the training provider licence please fill out the following:
You will need the following information to complete your application:
For help in compiling your submission read the endorsement guidance pack >
If you have any enquiries about the training provider licence please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 07926 674910.
*Subject to terms and conditions
This section is for training providers and employers wishing to submit training for endorsement. However, those who have multiple pieces of training should consider the training or employer licence, where there is no limit to the training submitted for endorsement during the lifetime of the licence. Use the Cat 1C form for either an individual course or for a full Training Provider Licence.
Discover more about the training provider licence >
Discover more about the employer training licence >
A course is a programme of learning that is led by one or more tutors and lasts more than six hours in total. Courses are made up of individual sessions, typically following a fixed schedule or scheme of work. Many courses combine a range of learning formats such as practical sessions and lectures.
Participants will be expected to engage in a variety of activities, the exact nature of which will depend on the subject, the course, and the particular trainer. A course will have some form of assessment.
Individual course: £300 + VAT for one year.
To apply for a category 1C submission, please fill out the following:
You will need the following information to complete your application:
A workshop is a learning opportunity lasting between 4-6 hours that may include practical and theory elements as well as problem solving, but will not include assessment.
£200 + VAT for one year.
To apply for a category 2 submission, please fill out the following:
If your training doesn’t fall under the criteria for category 1c and 2 it will be category 3. Category 3 is for anything that contributes to CPD e.g. short workshops, seminars, conventions, conferences, online exams, self taught programmes, reading and journals.
£175 + VAT for one year.
To apply for a category 3 submission, please fill out the following:
For help in compiling your submission read the endorsement guidance pack >
If you have any enquiries about training submissions please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 07926 674910.
We understand that employers have different needs when training and upskilling their workforce, and that sometimes the only way for employers to successfully meet this need is to run their own inhouse training.
In order to help both employers and their employees get recognition for their participation in their own quality assured, well-delivered training and development programme, we have developed a two year employer training licence. This licence allows employers to develop and deliver multiple courses, which are recognised as endorsed training for CPD, without having to submit each individual course for evaluation each time.
Cost savings - this is no need to out-source training, it can be done on the employer's premises. This can represent a significant reduction in the time spent away from the working day.
Flexibility - courses can be delivered at any time and date, to suit the needs of both employers and employees. Training can comfortably be arranged into the busy working week. Courses can be run over several weeks, or timed to coincide with specific activities or events.
Content - this can be accurately matched to employers' training needs and objectives and provides complete control over the delivery process, style and facilitiators used.
Planned workforce development - when skills gaps are identified, training can be scheduled and delivered to address these specific skills needs.
Improved retention rates - employees can gain a real sense of their employer's commitment to training while effective staff development can improve performance and motivation.
Quality control - employers can be assured that the training their employees receive is effective and fit for purpose. Post course assessments will also ensure the training is meeting objectives and help in improving any future courses.
£1100 + VAT for two years.
To apply for an employer training licence please fill in the following:
For help in compiling your submission read the endorsement guidance pack >
If you have any enquiries about the employer training licence please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 07926 674910.
Below is some key information about playwork endorsement.
If you have any queries relating to playwork endorsement please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 07926 674910.
We can also provide endorsement support through our consultancy services >
Endorsed training recognises:
Discover more about the endorsement process >
We also offer a range of support services:
For enquiries about playwork endorsement email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 07926 674910.
Leeds Metropolitan University
Course detail:
The aim of the course is to produce playwork practitioners who are able members of the children’s workforce, skilled in practice and well versed in theory. Graduates of the course will engage with the complexity of play and its deferred benefits for both the child and wider community. They have a wide range of inter-disciplinary skills and competencies. These include an ability to facilitate, enable, mediate, motivate, empathise, advocate and develop policy and strategy.
The course therefore aims to:
http://courses.leedsmet.ac.uk/playwork_fda
To learn more about the work of Play Wales visit their website.
Our role is to ensure the full involvement of Welsh employers in the sector at a UK level. We represent the sector’s Welsh interests to the Welsh Assembly Government and its key divisions such as the Department for Children, Education Lifelong Learning and Skills (DCELLS) and the Department for the Economy and Transport (DET).
We also work in partnership with other Welsh organisations that have an interest in education and training such as the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW), Careers Wales, Job Centre Plus and the Wales TUC.
Richard Tobutt, national manager for Wales
SkillsActive Wales
One Caspian Point
Cardiff Waterside
Pierhead Street
Cardiff Bay
Cardiff
CF10 4DQ
A strong infrastructure is in place to enable partners at local and regional levels to contribute to the development of the playwork workforce in the sector.
We work closely with the Scottish Executive, Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), Play Scotland, the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and a number of other professional bodies and stakeholders to engage with employers and training providers in the children’s workforce.
We have a Scottish Implementation plan for playwork education, training and qualifications in Scotland: ‘Quality Training, Quality Play 2006-2011’.
The Playwork SVQ’s being omitted from the qualifications list has been a stressful and confusing time for playworkers and playwork employers in the sector. Particularly this has come at a time when the sector is already struggling in the wake of financial cuts to non-statutory services in local authorities. The playwork sector has worked incredibly hard over the last years to ensure that it has placed itself very firmly as a vital service within the day care of children in Scotland, with qualified staff committed to ensuring they provide a quality service. Playworkers committed to gaining the required qualifications have ensured that the playwork sector is very much part of the Childhood Practice vision set out by ministers 5 years ago. The playwork sector had to work harder than their counterparts in the early years field to ensure that they had the qualifications required for registration, and they stepped up to the mark in an incredible fashion, by working very hard. It was for this reason that we were disappointed by the mistake of the playwork qualifications being omitted from the list. The playwork National Occupational Standards were mapped to the Childhood Practice Standards in the development of the standards, and so have been an integral part of the process from the outset. We are pleased to see the apology from SSSC re this mistake on their web site and the statement that the Playwork SVQ qualifications will of course be added to the revised list.
To find out more about playwork in Scotland or to become involved in the work of PETC please contact:
SkillsActive Scotland
Caledonia House
1 Redheughs Rigg
South Gyle
Edinburgh
EH12 9DQ
Landline: +44 (0)131 339 7869
Mobile: 07885 556 402
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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