Childhood Development and Playwork | BA (Hons) at Leeds Beckett University

Course Details

Gain the confidence and expertise to work in a range of professions across the children’s workforce. Unique learning pathways will enable you to shape your future career by gaining vital work experience from a variety of placement opportunities including hospital play, therapeutic playwork, adventure playgrounds and community and policy development work.

Your classroom-based learning focuses on the sociology and psychology of children and childhood. You will pay particular attention to the importance of play for children’s wellbeing and development, and its application in a range of professional roles. This course’s modular structure enables you to develop specialisms in playwork, child development, the sociology of childhood and social policy, and the provision and management of children’s play projects. 

Upon graduation you will gain a range of practical and transferable skills, and a critical understanding of contemporary issues central to the study and practice of childhood development and playwork.

Course Benefits

You will have access to work-based learning opportunities with experienced supervisors in a range of child-focused occupations across the UK and worldwide – previous students have gone on to learn in the US, Kenya and Australia.

You will also benefit from our 30 years of experience in teaching childhood development and playwork. Our course team includes Professor Fraser Brown, whose research with Roma children in Transylvania has received much international acclaim. Between them, the team share a range of professional and practical specialisms in the fields of playwork, hospital play, and policy and project development, and are actively involved with a number of charitable children’s projects.

Visiting practitioners will give you an insight into their personal experiences of working with children in a wide range of disciplines, and support the development of professional networks that contribute to 100% of the course’s graduates being employed or engaged in post-graduate study.

For those who wish to pursue a career in play therapy, our exclusive relationship with the Academy of Play and Child Psychotherapies offers students a unique postgraduate study opportunity.  

For more information on our Childhood Development & Playwork team and to discover what projects you could be involved with as a student, follow them on Twitter: @LBUPlayworking