The play fighter - Nick Jackson, play development manager, The Learning Trust
Ross Watson
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Nick Jackson is recounting the tale of his brief flirtation with prime-time television.
Last year, Haringey Play Association was visited by Kevin Morley, former boss of Rover, for the Channel 4 series The Secret Millionaire. Morley volunteered on the adventure playground for a few days before handing over £75,000.
"It was a surreal experience - almost like Victorian-style philanthropy - but you can't really account for that in your business plan," says Jackson, who left the association a fortnight ago after five years to join The Learning Trust in neighbouring Hackney, overseeing the borough's play strategy.
He was grateful for the exposure and the cash, which funded a senior playworker for two years and camping trips for the children. But he knows the play sector rarely receives this kind of backing. That may sound ridiculous considering the government is halfway through a £235m strategy to develop and refurbish thousands of play areas, but Jackson is referring to the day-to-day running of services on the ground.
Lottery funding
Many local authorities have relied on lottery funding to pay for playworkers and resources. Now grants are nearing completion there is growing concern about what will happen next. "In Haringey, we got a two-year contract to fund playworkers that comes to an end this year, and at the moment the local authority is not renewing it," he claims.
At any rate, Jackson takes issue with the way lottery money for play was doled out through local authorities in the first place. "Haringey got about £780,000 over three years and, while we had the opportunity to bid for some money, more than half stayed in the local authority." A lot of the money was spent on refurbishing parks, something he says the council should be doing anyway.
Haringey Play Association has been successful in tendering for some council funding but, like many small community organisations, often struggles to compete with other bidders. Jackson argues the commissioning process leaves a lot to be desired.
"The problem is the agenda is set by the local authority, which will only fund the services it thinks it needs," he says. "The only other sources are trusts, charities and lottery funding, but with more people chasing less money and with a recession on we're facing tough times."
Knowledge gap
While Jackson argues central government is taking play more seriously than ever, he says there is still a knowledge gap. "In a way the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is typical of how play is perceived: a tool through which children learn and develop," he says. "I'm not saying that's not important but for us it's about just children being children and that sometimes doesn't get acknowledged." The EYFS does not sit well with many playworkers, who consider it too prescriptive and focused on learning and development.
Play England's latest non-statutory guidance, Embedding the Play Strategy, may improve the situation. Jackson is impressed by the document, currently out for consultation, which urges children's trusts and councils to consider the role of play at a strategic level and across departments. "It makes some good arguments for why play is important - not just for wellbeing and enjoyment, but also how it links to community cohesion, obesity and mental health," he says. But he confesses he is not sure if it will prompt councils to take play more seriously.
In Jackson's eyes, the struggle for play to be seen as a core service lies in its lack of evidenced outcomes. Despite recent additions to local area agreements and national indicators, he accepts play is "not about the outcomes but the process". That said, he admits play organisations have to be creative to secure funding - for instance, getting health funding for a playworker by renaming the role "physical activity co-ordinator".
And although Jackson seems content that SkillsActive has recently been relicensed as the sector skills council for playworkers, he is acutely aware of the other areas the council covers. "Perhaps we might get taken more seriously if we weren't lumped in with caravanning," he jokes.
CV: JACKSON'S PLAYWORK CAREER
- 1985-87: Assistant playworker at Glamis Adventure Playground in Tower Hamlets
- 1987-92: Playworker at Lumpy Hill Adventure Playground, Islington
- 1992-98: Senior playworker at Lumpy Hill
- 1998-2004: After studying play theory, Jackson became adventure play development manager for Islington Play Association
- 2004-09: Director of Haringey Play Association, during which time it won London Play's adventure playground of the year award in 2008
- 2009: Appointed play development manager for The Learning Trust in Hackney