Welcome to PLAY 2023

CREATING SPACES FOR PLAY & PLAYFULNESS

HELLO & WELCOME!

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to our conference, Joy of Childhood: Creating Space for Play & Playfulness.

Today we pay homage to play and playfulness in all its forms; celebrating play as a way of knowing the world and developing qualities that we desperately need now as rapid changes in society and technology make flexible thinking, resilience and adaptability more important than ever before.

As we all now look ahead to a post-pandemic world, education – like all sectors of society – is presented with an opportunity to restate its purpose and intent. With much made of the need for catch-up and back-filling, the tenets of high-quality early education and child development in the primary phase runs the serious risk of being overshadowed by narrowly measured metrics and targets. At the centre of this is a very real danger that play and playfulness are being undervalued and underrepresented in schools across the country.

Whether you are already a passionate advocate of the benefits of play or a more cynical sceptic, I hope that over the course of today you will be inspired and motivated to consider how you can turn the dial in your school or nursery, to ensure that you create not just the space but the climate for what our headline keynote speaker (and bona-fide national treasure), Michael Rosen calls the “key to helping us develop and reach our full potential.”

We have an exciting and thought-provoking programme for you; one which I hope will not only inspire you but also empower and equip you with what you need to prioritise play for the children you teach and the families you support.

The day combines the chance to hear from experts in the field of child psychology and children’s therapy, courtesy of Channel 4’s Professor Sam Wass and Clinical Director of Whole Child Therapy, Nerys Hughes, respectively; as well as the opportunity to find out first-hand how we are putting play front and centre of the work we do here at Wimbledon High School, through this afternoon’s breakout sessions.

Today’s conference is also – very deliberately – a cross-sector event, designed to forge connections and spark relationships between different schools, nurseries and educational organisations. Play is universal in its appeal and importance; it is made far richer when it is characterised by variety and diversity. If, as we a result of today, some new play partnerships can be created between the schools in attendance, our children’s experiences will surely be richer as a result. Please do spend some time over lunch not only stocking up on reading material from Roving Books and getting your books signed by Michael Rosen, but also visiting our networking stands to find out more about the partnership projects you could run back in your setting, and the great service offered by Inner Wings, a free confidence-building service for schools and The Arts Place, who offer drama clubs and lessons to children of all ages. Finally, do make sure you take full advantage of everything on offer on your delegate table today. From the playful doodle mat to the complementary fiddle toy and sweet treats, there is lots for you to get stuck into. Connect with your inner-child from the moment you arrive!

Claire Boyd Junior of Head Junior School

Schedule for the Day

09.35 Registration

09.50 Welcome

10.00 Why Play Really Matters

Keynote Address and Q&A from Michael Rosen, Professor of Children’s Literature at Goldsmith’s University, Poet & Former Children’s Laureate

11.00 Break & Refreshments

11.15 Play & Finding Meaning

Interactive Workshop with Nerys Hughes, Founder & Clinical Director of Whole Child Therapy

12.45 Lunch & Networking

Book Signing with Michael Rosen & Roving Books

An Opportunity to Visit our Partnership Stands

13.45 Breakout Session 1

Delegates attend two pre-selected Breakout Sessions; see your conference lanyard for individual bookings

14.30 Breakout Session 2

15.15 Break

15.30 The Psychology of Play

Keynote Address and Q&A from Sam Wass, Professor of Child Psychology & Founder of Baby DevLab

16.15 Closing Remarks

Safeguarding Policy & Procedures

Wimbledon High School is committed to a whole school approach to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.

All pupils have the right to be protected from all types of harm and abuse, and all school systems, processes and policies should operate with the best interests of the child at their heart. Our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy forms a fundamental part of our approach to providing excellent pastoral care to all pupils, including young people who may be over the age of 18 years. Please click here for the details of our policy and procedure.

Safeguarding at Wimbledon High

Fionnuala Kennedy Head

Alexa Cutteridge Holly Beckwith Jaime-Lee Paterson (SMLO)

Jenny Lingenfelder (SMLO)

Jessica Salt Hattie Franklin (SMLO)

John Parsons Kate HarperTarr (SMLO)

Churchill

Abraham

(SMLO)

CONFERENCE CONTRIBUTORS

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Professor of Children’s Literature at Goldsmiths, University of London, Poet and Former Children’s Laureate.

Child Psychologist, Founder of Baby

DevLab and Presenter of Channel 4’s

The Secret Life of Children.

Advanced Practitioner Paediatric

Occupational Therapist and Founder and Clinical Director of Whole Child

Therapy, a multi-disciplinary children’s therapy clinic taking a holistic approach to a child’s needs.

CONFERENCE CONTRIBUTORS BREAKOUT SESSION FACILITATORS

PLAYFUL APPROACHES TO OUTDOOR LEARNING

Sarah Brierley is Assistant Head of Co-Curricular and Partnerships at Wimbledon High Junior School. Sarah was previously Head of Outdoor Education at Windermere Preparatory School in the Lake District. She is a qualified Summer Mountain Leader and a RYA Dinghy Sailing Instructor. Sarah is passionate about learning outside the classroom and developed the Windermere Outdoor Learning Log Book scheme and Wimbledon High Junior School Wild Girls outdoor learning programme.

Alex Farrer is Head of Junior School Science at Wimbledon High School. She leads KS1 and KS2 science at Wimbledon High Junior School and teaches science to year 2,3,5 and 6. She was proud to lead the school to gain the Primary Science Quality Mark at Outreach level in 2019 and is now currently leading the school to gain PSQM Outreach for a second time. Alex is an experienced PSQM Hub Leader, an accredited trainer of the Primary Science Capital Teaching Approach, and regularly leads professional development sessions and speaks at conferences. In 2019 Alex was a winner of the PSTT Primary Science Teacher Award, and as a PSTT Fellow has successfully gained funding for a PSTT Cluster of 10 schools based at Wimbledon High School, working collaboratively to promote excellent science teaching. Alex co-authored the PSTT resource “See Through Science”, as well as helping to develop the unconscious bias materials “Science4Everyone” with the Wellcome Sanger Institute. Alex is currently writing the teacher resource “Sketchbook Science” with Isabelle Dubois, Head of Art at Wimbledon High Junior School. This resource will be published later in 2023 and fuses art and science learning.

CONFERENCE CONTRIBUTORS BREAKOUT SESSION FACILITATORS

USING PLAY AS PASTORAL THERAPY

Julie Ashbee is a Psychotherapeutic child counsellor. She originally trained as a Norlander, winning the Giffords Hall award on graduating. With her own children in school, she completed a post graduate diploma in child psychotherapeutic counselling at the Institute for Arts in Education and Therapy (an academic partner of the University of East London). Julie works with young people up to the age of 24, using the arts to help them explore and make sense of their world, the events in their lives and their feelings and responses to these. She believes that young people who are helped to access their core feelings in a safe environment can move to living their lives more fully. Julie is currently school counsellor at Wimbledon High Junior School, counsellor to unaccompanied asylum-seeking refugee children at Off The Record youth counselling charity and has a private practice in SW London.

Kate Harper-Tarr is Assistant Head Pastoral & Upper Junior School at Wimbledon High Junior School. Having worked for three years in the state sector she joined Wimbledon in 2016 as a Year 3 class teacher and Leader of English. Kate subsequently became Leader of our extensive co-curricular programme, in addition to having a key responsibility in the pastoral care of the Junior girls. She now leads the Upper Junior School and is keenly interested in Junior Education; particularly its role in building resilience and a love of learning, as well as leading regular sessions with our wellbeing dog, Willoughby!

Kate Munford is Junior School PE Teacher at Wimbledon High School. She has been a PE Teacher since 2008, teaching children in Reception through to Sixth Form in both state maintained and independent schools. Kate went on to study Integrative Child Psychotherapy at The Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education in 2015. Kate has since worked therapeutically with children and adolescents in mainstream and alternative provision schools as a School Counsellor. Armed with a wealth of pastoral and wellbeing tools, Kate has returned to a PE teaching role at Wimbledon High Juniors, combining her passion of teaching and counselling skills.

CONFERENCE CONTRIBUTORS BREAKOUT SESSION FACILITATORS

PLAYFUL TAKE AWAYS FOR THE CLASSROOM

Judith Leaning is Head of Lower Junior School Maths & Year 2 Class Teacher at Wimbledon High School. Judith regularly leads Maths INSET sessions for the Girls’ Day School Trust. She is also a Mental Health First Aider and champion of Staff Wellbeing. She has taught for many years in both the state and independent sector. Whilst raising her four children, Judith set up a playgroup and was Chair of governors at a local primary school. She is passionate about playful approaches to learning, especially maths, which are often seen in the Early Years classroom and is dedicated to embedding them across the primary phase.

Emily Plumtree trained as an actress at the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama and has worked as an actor at The National Theatre, for The Royal Shakespeare Company and most recently in London’s West End. Emily is Founder & Director a the Arts Place which provides Drama programmes to Wimbledon High School, The Rowan’s School, Shrewsbury House School, Putney High School, Notting Hill & Ealing Junior School, Blackheath High School, Southbank International School, Northwood College for Girls.

Alistair Smith is Head of Upper Junior School Maths & Digital Lead Teacher at Wimbledon High School. Alistair is a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert and a Digital Champion & Coach for the Girls’ Day School Trust. He has a passion for maths and believes that maths is in everything and will often be seen play debating how maths is integrated into our lives with his year 5 and 6 pupils. Recently, he has started leading and coaching the Junior School staff to improve the digital learning in the school after becoming a Microsoft Innovative Educator. He hopes to empower pupil agency and collaboration when using digital devices to support their learning and play with software safety.

Zoe Prag has been Upper Junior School teacher here at Wimbledon High School for the past 20 years and within that time have been responsible for leading on Humanities, developing our pastoral House system and contributing to the running of our SHINE partnerships programme and Wild Girls. She taught in a diverse range of primary schools before Wimbledon High and also volunteers for a charity organisation called Forest School Camps which aims to provide opportunities for children for children from all backgrounds to experience living under canvas and building a community close to nature in order to promote resilience, self-reliance, respect and responsibility.

CONFERENCE CONTRIBUTORS BREAKOUT SESSION FACILITATORS

USING SOCRATIC DEBATE TO PROMOTE PLAYFUL THINKING

Elizabeth Jenkins is Assistant Head Academic & Innovation and Year 5 Teacher at Wimbledon High Junior School. She has experience teaching and leading across the curriculum in a wide range of schools within the independent, state and international sectors. In her career, she has held a variety of roles which have had impact across multiple academic areas, such as Assistant Head for Teaching and Learning, Lead Practitioner, Assessment Chair, English Lead and Humanities Coordinator. Elizabeth is committed to the principles of lifelong learning and the importance of creating inclusive learning environments where all can achieve their potential.

James Porter Since beginning his career as an English Teacher in the Maintained Secondary sector, James feels privileged to have taught across sectors and cultures, in different countries and in all phases from Early Years to Adult Education. He joined Wimbledon in 2019 from Thomas’s Battersea where he taught English in the Upper School, having previously held roles including Head of KS3 English, Head of Most Able and mentoring trainee and early career teachers. Passionate about developing inspirational and innovative learning experiences that build confidence and challenge perspectives, James launched the Experientia Scholarship and Speak Up! Year 6 Partnership at WHS, challenging pupils to think differently about the world around them and empowering them to have the confidence and conviction to speak up and speak out.

A Note of Thanks

Sincere thanks go to the following amazing individuals for their incredible dedication to making today’s conference happen:

Sarah Chittenden, Deputy Head of Junior School, for keeping the Junior School running whilst collaborating with Sarah Ward, Events Manager to mastermind the logistics and operations of the day.

Jo Joyce, Director of Development, and Alison Hunt, Apple Pips Manager for organising the delegate experience and managing the conference invites and bookings.

Rachel Brewster, Director of Marketing & Communications and, Tracey Gill, In-House Designer, for creating all the beautiful art work and supporting conference materials.

Nikola Hall, Alumnae & Communications Officer & Clare van der Merwe, Junior School Admissions Officer, for looking after all today’s delegates with such care.

Jodie Wright, Junior School Teaching Assistant, and Alison Earle, Higher Level Teaching Assistant, for creating the incredible table centrepieces, conference favours and treats.

Everyone in the WHS IT Support Team and Estates Team, as well as our school caterers, Thomas Franks.