Playwork
FdA

Course summary and entry requirements

Course duration
Part-time: 2.5 years

Professional accreditation
This professional qualification is developed in partnership with Playwork South East and SkillsActive. It is gaining national recognition by employers and will help successful graduates to enhance their career development in the field of playwork.

About the course

Developed in partnership with Playwork South East and SkillsActive, this course will enhance the professional development of play, out-of-school and childcare workers, supervisors and coordinators.
Working with children and young people in play and out-of-school settings provides the focus for the course via the placement (your current workplace) and there are also opportunities to visit other settings in year 2. Work-based learning and practice and university-based work are closely linked throughout the course.
University learning includes taught sessions, discussion groups and smaller reflective practice groups. In between these you will communicate with other students and the tutors via studentcentral - our online learning environment. A mentor will visit your workplace and discuss the practical ways you can apply the knowledge that you gain.

Typical entry requirements

The entry requirements listed here are for students starting their course in 2013. Individual offers may vary
For non-native speakers of English:
IELTS 6.0 overall, 6.0 in writing.
Other:
Applicants are normally expected to meet the following entry requirements: 12 months experience working with children in play and related settings; currently employed (or a volunteer) in a playwork or a related setting for a minimum of three hours per week; completion of Level 3 playwork training - please contact us if you have a different qualification; consent from employer to support mentoring, assessment and workplace course activities.
Course content

Course structure

The course is part-time and runs for two years and three months: one summer term April-June followed by two academic years September-June.
Each year of study includes a block of approximately three study days in April, and a Friday-Saturday session each month. There may be additional weekday sessions during the first stage of the course - full details will be given upon request and/or application to the course.
As well as attending university, you will undertake work-based activities, reflection and private study (one day per week in total).

Areas of study

The programme is modular and will develop your understanding in areas such as play theories, the play environment, staff recruitment and management, national and local play initiatives and provision, inclusion, safeguarding children, and how to manage risk. You will look at your own practice in a reflective way and become aware of how to improve these practices. Each module has an assignment attached to it as an assessment and these vary from presentations, wikis, handbooks and written essays.

Syllabus

Year 1 (April-July)
Studying in HE for Professional Development in Working with Children and Young People
Children and Young People's Learning and Development
Year 2 (September-June)
Professional Reflective Practice in Learning and Development
Children and Playwork
The Professional Playworker
The Playing Environment
Safeguarding and Promoting Welfare and Wellbeing
Year 3 (September-June)
Social Policy, Equality and Inclusion
Further Professional Reflective Practice in Learning and Development
Playwork Culture and Communities
The Organisational Context of Playwork
Contributing to the Management and Development of Play Provision

You can view the programme specification for this course as a PDF file by clicking on the link below:

Programme Specification
Fees and costs

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2012-13. Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and may be subject to small increases, in line with inflation.

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full- or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

What's included in the fee?

When costs such as health or criminal record checks, field trips or use of specialist materials are incurred as a mandatory requirement of the course they are included in your tuition fee.

You may incur additional costs depending on the optional modules or activities you choose. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. Before you apply please check with the school that provides your course using the contact details on the left of this page for advice about what is included and what optional costs you could face so you can budget accordingly.

Our website www.brighton.ac.uk/money provides advice about funding and scholarships as well as further information about fees and advice on international and island fee paying status.

FdA Playwork

Please contact us directly for exact tuition fees for this course.
Location

Location Falmer

Our Falmer campus is located on the edge of the South Downs National Park on the outskirts of Brighton. Approximately 7,000 students are based here.
View campus maps and directions
Living in Brighton
Brighton’s rich mix of historic architecture, lively arts scene, varied shopping and cosmopolitan community make it a vibrant, enjoyable place to live. It is no wonder that many Brighton graduates choose to stay here.
Social scene
Alongside the traditional seaside attractions, Brighton is famed for its exciting social scene with a wide choice of pubs, clubs and restaurants.
Arts
The highlight of the city’s cultural year is the Brighton Festival. The event is held each May and is England’s biggest arts festival, which showcases arts and performance from around the world. Brighton is also home to the UK’s oldest working cinema, the Duke of York’s, which shows alternative and mainstream films. The city is also well known for its exciting music scene and hosts The Great Escape music festival.
Sports
Whether you take your sport seriously or just want to keep fit, Brighton offers all kinds of sports opportunities and facilities, on and off campus. You can also make the most of the location, and play volleyball, basketball and windsurfing down by the beach. The seafront is also the finishing point for the famous London – Brighton bicycle ride and the quirky veteran car run.
Career opportunities

Successful students will be deemed to be professionally qualified as play and child-care development workers. This qualification is gaining national recognition by employers and is seen as greatly enhancing career development. The programme will develop your understanding in areas such as: staff recruitment and management; national and local play initiatives and provision, the history of play and how to manage risk. You will also look at your own practice and that of colleagues in a reflective way and be able to expand and improve it.

Visit the careers service website.