Accredited PARS playwork courses
for school lunchtime supervisors

PARS PLAYWORK PRACTICE 

A systematic approach to playwork to improve school playtimes

PARS is a tried-and-tested model of practice for professionals working with children in their leisure time.
Join our interactive accredited courses if you want to be able to....
“I feel so much more confident that I can understand the children's play and my role as a playworker. ”
Nancy Low
PPP2, September 2024

Let children be children!

  • Learn how to provide fun and freedom for children in their free time.
  • Find the balance between freedom and chaos with PARS - learn when and how to get involved and when and how to leave children to do their own thing!

Define your professional approach

  • Learn a technical language to describe your playwork practice.
  • Describe your playwork practice to help other adults to understand the need to provide time and space for children to be children!
  • Gain a NCFE certificate to demonstrate your knowledge and skills.

Relax and
have fun at work

  • Adults who use PARS playwork practice at work  tell us they are happier in their jobs
  • Parents tell us that they have more fun with their own children when using PARS at home
  • Children have more fun too when adults are using PARS!

What is involved in a PARS programme?

Teaching

Your PARS programme will be taught live by a PPP4 qualified PARS Licensed Trainer. All PARS courses are interactive with plenty of time for discussion and learning from other participants. The course materials are provided online and include handouts and two course handbooks which you will use to help you complete your assessments.

Practice

During the course you will be asked to try out some of the PARS model whilst working with children. Real-world case studies, discussions and assessments will enable you to put PARS into practice wherever you work in children's leisure time. You will not be assessed in your workplace.


Assessment

PARS is an NCFE International Award Centre. Your assessments are completed online through short assignments and multiple choice texts. You will receive feedback from your dedicated PARS assessor and supported throughout the assessment process.

Benefits of a PARS playwork approach to school playtimes

Write your awesome label here.

Recognised approach for improving school playtimes 

The PARS approach to improving school playtimes has been supported by Department for Education funding, presented at the annual conference of the National Union of Teachers and featured in the internationally aired documentary, Lost Adventures of Childhood. 


Write your awesome label here.

Empowering
adults & children



PPP2 for Schools provides adults with practical methods and techniques to empower them to allow children more freedom in their play and to make consistent decisions about when they need to intervene.
Write your awesome label here.

Benefits for
children and schools


A PARS approach means that children enjoy their break times more and there is a decrease in behaviour issues. Adults are less stressed and more teaching time is freed up after breaktimes. Lunchtime supervisors become more confident in their role and can explain their new approach to others.
Write your awesome label here.

Tried, tested, accredited



Based on years of practical experience of working with schools, PPP2 is now accredited by NCFE, one of the UK's leading Awarding Bodies. 
Get pars playwork qualified

Which PARS course is right for you?

Compare the two courses in the section below and see which level is right for you.There is no requirement to complete PPP2 before joining a PPP3 course. Anybody who wants to take part in PPP4 and become a PARS Licensed Trainer must complete PPP3 first.

PPP2: Beginner Level

Write your awesome label here.
PPP2 is an introductory qualification for individuals working with children during their leisure time. PPP2 for Schools courses are taught by PPP4 qualified PARS Licensed Trainers who have a wealth of experience of putting PARS playwork into practice in school playtimes/recess.

Find out how the PARS model works and start to use PARS Theories, Methods and Techniques.  

  • Aim of PPP2

    By the end of the PPP2 course, participants should be able to begin to apply the PARS model in their settings and to describe their PARS playwork practice to other adults.

  • Who is it for?

    PPP2 is suitable for any adults who work with or care for children. 

  • Course content                                                
    PPP2 introduces the basics of the PARS model of playwork practice, so that participants can begin to use the PARS practice with children at work and at home and to explain it to other adults! 
     

  • Assessment and study                                            

    12 hours teaching + 13 hours private study. Participants complete short online assignments and multiple-choice tests to demonstrate their understanding and application of the PARS model.

  • Certification

    Participants who pass the PPP2 assessments will receive a certificate from NCFE, one of the UK's leading Awarding Bodies. 

PPP3: Advanced Practitioner Level

Write your awesome label here.

PPP3 provides an in-depth exploration of the PARS model, suitable for experienced practitioners and anybody who wants to become PPP4 qualified. PPP3 courses usually include adults working in a range of different settings from around the world. PPP3 is required for those who wish to become PARS Schools Mentors.

Learn how to use the PARS model to articulate and develop your playwork practice.


  • Aim of PPP3

    By the end of the PPP3 course, participants should be able to articulate, develop and evaluate their PARS playwork practice.

  • Who is it for?

    Experienced practitioners currently working with children with good study skills (please note that there is a substantial amount of reading and assessment work for PPP3). 

  • Course Content                                                
    PPP3 involves an in-depth exploration of all of the theories, methods and techniques included in the PARS model of playwork practice and its underpinning philosophy. A detailed examination of how the PARS model of playwork practice was constructed and works in practice.

  • Assessment and study                                            
    18 hours teaching + 42 hours private study.

    Participants complete written online assessments (200 - 500 words each) that demonstrate their ability to put PARS playwork into practice and to evaluate their PARS practice.

  • Certification

    Participants who pass the PPP3 assessments will receive a certificate from NCFE, one of the UK's leading Awarding Bodies. 
USE THE PARS MODEL TO SUPPORT SCHOOLS

PARS SCHOOLS MENTORS

Permission to share the PARS model
PARS Schools Mentor Approval
PARS Schools Mentors receive

What is a PARS Schools Mentor?

Use the PARS model to support change in schools

Until now, only PPP4 qualified PARS Licensed Trainers have been allowed to share the PARS model with others. Anybody who is PPP3 qualified can now become an approved PARS Schools Mentor, which means that they can share the PARS model with schools to improve playtimes for children.

PARS School Mentor Approval

To become an approved PARS Schools Mentor, you will need to:
  • pass PPP3 (please note that those qualified to PPP2 are not permitted to share PARS)
  • sign a PARS Schools Mentor licence 

PARS Schools Mentors receive...

Once you have signed the PARS Schools Mentor licence, you will receive...
  • a digital certificate to confirm your PARS Schools Mentor status
  • your personal name badge to show that you are a PARS Schools Mentor
  • some lovely PARS frisbees to use in the school playground!
6:00 AM PST / 9:00 AM EST / 3:00 PM CET

You’ve Got Questions, We’ve Got the Answers!

Lots of learning activities

We offer you a banch of learning activities. Video, ebooks, quizzes, certificates, exams and a lot more. An awesome interactive learning experience!

Flexible pathways

You can navigate freely or sequentially. Courses can also be delivered with drip feed.

Reading with note taking

Multiple ways of adding notes and highlights. We help you improve your scanning and reading strategies.
7:00 AM PST / 10:00 AM EST / 4:00 PM CET

You’ve Got Questions, We’ve Got the Answers!

Assignments for every need

Improve your confidence with self-improvement quizzes, formal tests, file assignments, and certificates to prove newly acquired skills.

Question banks

We have huge pools of questions connected to multiple courses and tests. All you need for secure, randomized tests for continuing education (CE) and certification programs.

Branded digital certificates

Take awards of our own digital certificates! Showcase their competencies at the end of your learning adventure.
The PARS training is a fantastic professional development opportunity for those who want to learn more about play theory and playwork practice in the context of schools, youth working, and outdoor play programmes. The training enables you to consolidate any pre-existing knowledge on playwork practice, and expand on your current knowledge by learning about the PARS framework, leaving you with the confidence to better your playwork knowledge, understanding and ongoing journey.
Rob Francksen,
former Headteacher,
Crawford Primary School, UK
I was able to understand how I could have more impact on play within the school space - beyond the basic playground, play on the way etc.   It provided me with knowledge which is transferable and practical to use when having discussions more confidently about play with school SLT.
Nat Wilcock, Sport Northland, New Zealand
Write your awesome label here.
Watch how PARS playwork practice is transforming playtimes in 800 schools across New Zealand!
This course helped me shift my perspective from trying to direct or control the way children engage in play to understanding that children should be exploring play freely without imposing specific rules or expectations, and recognising how my presence can influence their play.
Gaby Chan, SCIPS OPAL Playleader, Malaysia
PARS EXPERT 

PPP4

PPP4 is our highest level PARS qualification. It will enable you to articulate, develop and evaluate your PARS playwork practice and the whole of the PARS model itself.

PPP4 is suitable for experienced practitioners and those in support roles as well as anybody who wants to become a PARS Licensed Trainer. Please note that PPP3 is a pre-requisite for PPP4.   
Write your awesome label here.

Our international PARS community

PARS Licensed Trainers

PARS trainees worldwide

different countries

PARS practitioners belong to the international PARS community, with lots of opportunities to connect with like-minded people around the world. There is also a free CPD programme for those who complete a PARS Customised Qualification.

GET PARS PLAYWORK QUALIFIED!

Join the international PARS community 

There are lots of ways to make PARS playwork work for you - if you can't find what you need on this page, please contact us so we can make it work for you too!