Playworker Apprentice
PLAY SPORTS LTD
DERBY (DE24 8UX)
Closes in 30 days (Sunday 18 January 2026 at 11:59pm)
Posted on 18 December 2025
Contents
Summary
As a Play Worker, you will have the opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of children by providing them with a fun and engaging play experience. If you are passionate about working with children and creating a nurturing environment for them to learn and grow, we would love to hear from you. Join our Premier team today!
- Wage
-
£11,778 for your first year, then could increase depending on your age
National Minimum Wage rate for apprentices
- Training course
- Playworker (level 2)
- Hours
-
Monday to Friday
07:15-09:00am
15:00-18:00pm
30 hours a week
- Start date
-
Saturday 24 January 2026
- Duration
-
1 year 6 months
- Positions available
-
2
Work
Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.
What you'll do at work
Duties:
- Supervise and engage children in various play activities
- Create a safe and inclusive environment for children to explore and learn
- Plan and implement age-appropriate games, crafts, and recreational activities
- Encourage social interaction and positive behavior among children
- Assist with snack time and ensure dietary restrictions are followed
- Maintain cleanliness and organization of play areas
Where you'll work
THE DERBY CONFERENCE CENTRE
LONDON RD
DERBY
DE24 8UX
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
THE EDUCATIONWISE ACADEMY LTD
Training course
Playworker (level 2)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Observe and reflect on play behaviours.
- Communicate sensitively using relevant language and behaviour.
- Promote diversity and inclusion in Playwork practice.
- Identify ways to remove barriers which can prevent some children and young people playing.
- Undertake reflective observations to improve own practice and the quality of the provision for children and young people.
- Contribute to play audits.
- Promote the value and benefits of play for all children and young people.
- Assist with planning, creating and identifying loose parts to encourage and inspire sustainable practices, including recycling, reusing, reducing and repairing.
- Recognise the benefits of risk taking in play and contribute to dynamic risk-benefit assessment.
- Recognise that children and young people communicate with a range of different types of behaviour and may need Playworker support.
- Support children and young people to understand and manage their emotions, feelings and actions.
- Manage interactions with parents/caregivers professionally.
- Recognise the importance of respecting professional boundaries when lone working or conducting intimate care with children and young people and using social media with children, young people and families.
- Contribute to health and safety checks.
- Follow emergency incidents or common illness/infections policies and procedures, administering first aid and completing records when required.
- Use active listening and communication techniques when interacting with children and young people playing, identifying any potential concerns if they occur.
- Contribute to recording and reporting procedures as required by the play setting.
- Contribute to administrative and financial record keeping.
- Promote healthy eating and an active lifestyle, ensuring specific dietary and cultural needs are met.
- Maintain a clean environment according to local and national policies and procedures.
- Contribute to ensuring security arrangements are followed, such as children’s arrival and departures from the setting.
- Work as part of a team to support and supervise children and young people on off-site trips, complying with formal risk assessment of venues visited.
- Apply Playwork approaches in own role, incorporating new and emerging themes.
- Reflect on own practice to create a personal development plan with supervisor.
- Recognise the boundaries of own self and other Playworkers’ interaction with children, and when it is necessary to report incidents to the appropriate safeguarding lead and Local Authority Designated Officer – LADO if appropriate when a Playworkers’ behaviour towards a child may pose a risk of harm.
- Apply the play work approach depending on the individual need.
- Observe and reflect on play behaviours.
- Communicate sensitively using relevant language and behaviour.
- Promote diversity and inclusion in Playwork practice.
- Identify ways to remove barriers which can prevent some children and young people playing.
- Undertake reflective observations to improve own practice and the quality of the provision for children and young people.
- Contribute to play audits.
- Promote the value and benefits of play for all children and young people.
- Assist with planning, creating and identifying loose parts to encourage and inspire sustainable practices, including recycling, reusing, reducing and repairing.
- Recognise the benefits of risk taking in play and contribute to dynamic risk-benefit assessment.
- Recognise that children and young people communicate with a range of different types of behaviour and may need Playworker support.
- Support children and young people to understand and manage their emotions, feelings and actions.
- Manage interactions with parents/caregivers professionally.
- Recognise the importance of respecting professional boundaries when lone working or conducting intimate care with children and young people and using social media with children, young people and families.
- Contribute to health and safety checks.
- Follow emergency incidents or common illness/infections policies and procedures, administering first aid and completing records when required.
- Use active listening and communication techniques when interacting with children and young people playing, identifying any potential concerns if they occur.
- Contribute to recording and reporting procedures as required by the play setting.
- Contribute to administrative and financial record keeping.
- Promote healthy eating and an active lifestyle, ensuring specific dietary and cultural needs are met.
- Maintain a clean environment according to local and national policies and procedures.
- Contribute to ensuring security arrangements are followed, such as children’s arrival and departures from the setting.
- Work as part of a team to support and supervise children and young people on off-site trips, complying with formal risk assessment of venues visited.
- Apply Playwork approaches in own role, incorporating new and emerging themes.
- Reflect on own practice to create a personal development plan with supervisor.
- Recognise the boundaries of own self and other Playworkers’ interaction with children, and when it is necessary to report incidents to the appropriate safeguarding lead and Local Authority Designated Officer – LADO if appropriate when a Playworkers’ behaviour towards a child may pose a risk of harm.
- Apply the play work approach depending on the individual need.
Training schedule
Requirements
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- IT skills
- Organisation skills
- Creative
- Patience
Other requirements
Passing a DBS Check
About this employer
We’re the UK’s largest provider of school physical activity and childcare. But we weren’t always that way.
Back in 1999, our founder David Batch set up the very first Premier Education session – football camps. Since then we’ve grown, evolving into the nationwide organisation that now delivers more than 18 million hours of activity to children across the country each year. Inspiring a life-long love of sport and being active is at the heart of everything we do.
As the organisation grew, so did our goals, vision, and values – and they all culminate to form our Culture Code. The five pillars of our culture helps determine every single part of Premier Education…
https://www.premier-education.com/ (opens in new tab)
Company benefits
Company events
Company pension
After this apprenticeship
Following the conclusion of the playworker apprenticeship, there is an additional step to become an assistant wrap around member of staff before a wrap around venue lead.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
THE EDUCATIONWISE ACADEMY LTD
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000005912.
Apply now
Closes in 30 days (Sunday 18 January 2026 at 11:59pm)