Everyone Plays, PlayBoard’s new Inclusive Play Project was launched in June this year.

Everyone Plays is a collaborative project working with SEN schools, primary schools and early years settings across Northern Ireland as well as providing online support materials and training.

The project is supported by the Department of Education as part of SEN Reform Delivery, which has been funded by the Public Sector Transformation Fund (PSTF).

Since the launch, the team has delivered training to:

• 6 early years settings
• 7 primary schools (full-staff) including those with SPIM and Nurture units
• 7 training sessions for parents
• 15 children’s participation settings

The programme has been designed to show how play can support emotional and sensory regulation, be used as a key observational tool to support academic learning and development, and provide a way for children to feel meaningfully included when their voices, whether verbal or otherwise, are listened to and acted upon.

The training includes play theory to broaden the range of skills development opportunities available to children of all ages, alongside an exploration of brain development and how this can affect sensory regulation, and emotional and physical development.

The training takes an in-depth look at:

• using play as an observational tool and extending this into academic learning, particularly for children who may not yet be able to verbalise their needs
• inclusive and disability rights and legislation
• sharing of good practice with other settings across Northern Ireland
• practical and low-cost play ideas and how parents/carers can support this
• accessibility and communication rich play spaces.

Alongside this, the team has been working with the schools to develop specific resources for individual settings, classes or individual children and has been supporting the development and writing of play policies, including procedures for outdoor play and inclusive play policies.

Online libraries of resources, further reading and training materials are also being created for staff to access whenever they need them.

Project feedback

• “Refreshing perspectives… everyone hearing the same information, great starting point.”
• “Great suggestions of small changes to have a big impact on my new classroom.”
• “Vital information on ensuring all kids feel involved, happy and included in play and also to deal with risky play differently and involve it more.”
• “The training has cemented how important it is to listen to the children.”

What did participants learn?

• “Ways to enhance play and to ensure I take time to observe the children during play more to benefit their learning journey.”
• “Connection before correction. Change the environment, not the child.”
• “All children play in their own way even if they do not join others.”
• “The importance of play in developing resilience and inclusion.”
• “Lots of ideas for neurodivergent children.”
• “Taking a step back when watching children play instead of being so quick to intervene.”
• “Different play types and learning that every child plays in their own way.”

Following the staff training:

• 98% of participants said that they had new ideas on how to improve participation.
• 98% of participants said they had new ideas on how to help children independently manage resources.

Parent feedback

• “Lots of different types of play and being more open to looking at risky play and looking at the benefits outweighing potential hazards.”
• “Realistic ideas not costing a lot of money.”
• 100% of participants said they recognised play as being vital to support the mental health and well-being of children and young people.

Many settings are ready to make changes in how they support all children within their care. Staff have been engaged, asking many interesting questions, enjoying working together as a full staff team and considering how they can create consistent, predictable routines around how play is implemented.

The team will be visiting some of the first cohort of schools over the coming weeks and is excited to see the changes that have already begun to take shape.

Read more about Everyone Plays.