Playworker Apprenticeship Level 2 - Playwork Qualification & Training Course
The Playworker Apprenticeship Level 2 equips learners with the skills to support child-led play, ensure safety, and work in various community settings
✅Up to 100% funded by the Apprenticeship Levy
✅Focuses on child-led, adventurous play environments
✅Teaches legal and safety standards in playwork
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Up to 100% funded Maximum employer fee £250
Course duration
15 Months
Playworker
Level 2
In-house tutor
visits
Online training events
One-to-one coaching
What is the Playworker Apprenticeship Level 2 ?
The Playworker Apprenticeship Level 2 prepares individuals to support child-directed play in settings like before and after-school clubs, adventure playgrounds, and mobile play provisions. Playworkers create stimulating environments where children explore and play freely, following their own ideas and interests.
Throughout the apprenticeship, learners gain knowledge of playwork theories, communication skills, and practical experience in managing play spaces. They also learn to implement organisational policies, support children's development, and ensure their physical and emotional well-being.
Apprentices are trained to uphold safety standards, conduct environment checks, and adapt play activities for children with additional needs, ensuring that all children can reach their full play potential.
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What will you learn on the Playworker Apprenticeship Level 2?
The Playworker Apprenticeship Level 2 typically includes several key modules, designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of playwork and prepare learners for various play settings. These modules cover:
- Child Development and Play: Focuses on child-led and child-directed play, observing play to support children's developmental needs and ensuring safe and stimulating environments.
- Playwork Theory and Practice: Provides foundational knowledge of playwork principles, including reflective practice, dynamic risk assessments, and resourcing the play environment for different needs.
- Health, Safety, and Well-being: Covers safeguarding children, maintaining legal standards in play settings, and ensuring the health and safety of children in play areas.
These modules combine practical on-the-job training with off-the-job study to support learners in a variety of playwork environments.
Who should apply for the Playworker Apprenticeship Level 2?
The Playworker Apprenticeship Level 2 is suitable for individuals who:
- Work in child play settings such as breakfast clubs, after-school clubs, holiday clubs, adventure playgrounds, and mobile play settings.
- Support play in community environments, including hospitals, women’s refuges, prisons, parks, and woodlands.
- Are interested in working with children in the voluntary, public, or private sectors, ensuring child-led, safe, and engaging play environments
This programme is ideal for those seeking practical experience and training in creating enriched play spaces for children.
Meet the Team
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How is the Playworker Apprenticeship Level 2 delivered?
The Playworker Apprenticeship Level 2 provides extensive support through monthly visits from an Apprenticeship Tutor, who offers 1:1 lessons directly at the apprentice’s work setting, eliminating the need to attend college. Apprentices use the Bud online platform to submit work and track their progress, with employers also having access to monitor development.
In addition to monthly online training events covering knowledge components, apprentices participate in regular review meetings, webinars, and receive ongoing support via BPN Boost. Skills are evidenced through observations by the Apprenticeship Tutor, and witness statements are used to demonstrate behavioural competencies.
What are the benefits of completing the Playworker Apprenticeship Level 2?
The Playworker Apprenticeship Level 2 offers many benefits for both the apprentice and their playwork setting:
Playworker Apprenticeship benefits for learners:
- Become a Great Playworker: Apprentices gain a diverse set of skills crucial for working with children, from understanding and implementing play theories to excellent communication with both children and their families. This holistic approach ensures they are well-prepared for various roles within playwork settings
- Advance Your Career: The apprenticeship not only provides a qualification but also substantial hands-on experience, making apprentices highly employable in sectors like after-school clubs, adventure playgrounds, or even specialised mobile play units. This experience can lead to further career progression within the field or related areas.
- Focus on Child-Directed Play: Emphasis is placed on understanding and facilitating child-directed play, which is central to child development. Apprentices learn to create environments tailored to children's needs, supporting their autonomy and creativity in play.
Playworker Apprenticeship benefits for settings:
- Quality Play Facilitation: Apprentices trained in playwork understand the importance of child-led play. They can facilitate activities that promote cognitive, emotional, and social development, leading to better developmental outcomes for children.
- Risk Management: Trained playworkers are adept at managing risks, ensuring that play environments are safe while still allowing for adventurous play, which is crucial for children's learning and growth.
- Compliance with Regulations: They are well-versed in health and safety regulations, safeguarding procedures, and other legal standards.
- Support for Diverse Needs: With training in inclusivity, playworkers can adapt play settings to accommodate children with various needs, ensuring that all children have equal opportunities for play.
Why complete the Playworker Apprenticeship with Best Practice Network?
- Our award winning Apprenticeships Team are always there to help - from application to graduation!
- National Delivery - we have Apprenticeship Tutors based throughout England
- Fantastic well-being programme BPN Boost to support learners throughout the programme
- Best Practice Network is committed to embodying our company values: inspire learning, work together, act with integrity and strive for excellence
- Individual learning plans for all apprentices and additional support is available for learners with additional learning needs
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Best Practice Network has won the Education and Childcare Provider of the Year for 2 years running! Thanks to all of our team and apprentices for making it happen!
This apprenticeship is suitable for playworkers who work with children in voluntary, public or private settings including:
- Breakfast, afterschool clubs and holiday clubs
- Adventure playgrounds and mobile play settings
- Play sessions in hospitals, refuges and prisons
- Play Ranger sessions in outdoor areas such as parks and woodlands
- Playschemes in sports and leisure facilities
- There is a high level of support from your Apprenticeship Tutor with monthly visits and 1:1 taught lessons
- The Apprenticeship tutor will visit your setting, no need to go to a college
- Work is submitted using Bud, the cutting-edge online platform, which is easy to use and includes login access for employers to keep track of their apprentice’s progress
Delivery includes:
- Monthly online training events to deliver Knowledge elements
- Monthly review meetings with Apprenticeship Tutor
- Monthly BPN Boost webinars and online resources for support
- Regular observations with Apprenticeship Tutor/mentor to evidence skills
- Witness statements to evidence behaviours
The ten core modules are:
- Roles and responsibilities of a playworker
- Health and safety
- Safeguarding
- Communication and teamworking
- Child development and play
- Enabling environments and observing children’s play
- Administration and managing resources
- Supporting wellbeing and resilience
- Equality, diversity and inclusion
- Partnership working and behaviour
Optional extra accredited units:
You can choose one or more extra units to undertake on top of the curriculum.
- Support Children With Additional Needs and Disabilities in a Playwork Setting
- Carry Out Playwork in Schools
- Contribute to Providing Food and Drink in the Playwork Setting
- Establish and Facilitate Playwork in a Non-Dedicated Setting
- Explore Different Perspectives and Influences on Playwork
Your employer must give you time during your working hours each week for activities and learning towards your apprenticeship. This is called Off-the-Job training. For 30 hours or more, this will be an average of 6 hours per week, that can be spread out in any way that suits yourself and your setting.
Examples of Off-the-Job training includes:
- Research
- Interactive online training
- Training events
- Inset days
- Coaching and mentoring
- Reflective learning
- Shadowing
- Networking and moderation events
- Project activities
There are no previous qualifications needed for this course and no age restrictions.
Apprentices must have:
- Support from your employer and levy account holder
- Be able to complete Level 1 English and maths whilst on programme
- Must have held a residency in the UK for the last three years
- This 15-month apprenticeship costs £5,000 but can be delivered at no cost to you or your setting if your setting is an Apprenticeship Levy payer
- If your setting doesn’t pay into the Apprenticeship Levy Fund, the government will pay 95% of your fees, with your setting contributing just 5%, which is £250. More details can be found on the Government website
- Contact our friendly apprenticeship team to confirm the availability of funding for your setting
Employer Incentive
An employer incentive payment of £1,000 is available for new apprentices aged 16 to 18 and those under 25 with an Education, Health and Care Plan.
Apprenticeship Levy Transfer
If an employer pays into the Apprenticeship Levy and has unspent funds, they can transfer up to 25% of that contribution to another employer. That means you can benefit from the levy-contributions of a different organisation to cover the full costs of an apprenticeship for a member of your team.
Organisations who are actively willing to transfer unspent funds can be viewed on the pledge page. Learn more about the Apprenticeship Levy Transfer on the Government website.
Are you an employer and looking for an apprentice?
If you want to train your current staff members through an apprenticeship, ask them to apply through our Apprenticeship Recruitment.
If you are looking for apprentices and want us to find candidates in your area, fill out our vacancy form. This will help us customise the candidates to your specific needs.
To recruit on your behalf, our team will:
- Collect applications for your vacancy every week
- Conduct screening interviews to determine if the candidates are suitable for the role and the apprenticeship programme
- Successful candidates will be sent to you with their CV, application, and interview notes. You can then decide whether to invite them for a formal interview or work trial
- Once you offer a candidate a position and they accept, we will help you to enrol your candidate onto our programme and help you access funding.
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