Special Purpose Award in Applied Arts in Playwork: Practice and Provision

Course Summary

Playwork as a discipline is the involvement of adults who wish to support and help children’s play. It occurs in environments which are dedicated to children’s play. The aim of this programme is to deepen learners’ critical and creative understandings of play and Playwork in an Irish context.

Following the principles of Playwork, learners will use understandings of the process of Playwork to create a wide range of quality play experiences for children.

Key Course Information

Blended Learning. Online and On Campus

This one year part-time programme will be made accessible and practical to the needs of the learner. This will be achieved through a blended learning approach of, on-campus practical workshops, which run three times per semester and online lectures every fortnight.

Examinations:

For Examinations, students may have to attend at the ATU campus through which they completed their studies. For some programmes it may be possible for the Exam to be taken remotely via online proctoring. ATU Students resident in the Republic of Ireland will be invited to attend exams at an exam centre located in Ireland. Students’ resident outside of Ireland or with exceptional circumstances may be eligible to attend remotely via online proctoring, where examinations are taken online and supervised virtually, subject to availability.

Application Closing Date : 18th August 2023

Entry Requirements

Applicants will be required to hold a minimum qualification at FETAC level 5 (8 modules) in ECCE or equivalent.

Experience and employment in the Early Childhood Sector would be of benefit.

Further Study

Students who successfully complete this special purpose award and who would like to apply for the degree programme in Early Childhood Care and Education, will be exempt from attending the Learning and Play module.

Programme Fees

To help make the payment of fees more manageable for students who are self-funding their studies, tuition fees can be paid through payment instalment plans at ATU Sligo. For further information on instalment plans, please visit our Fees and Funding webpage. 

If you apply and are approved for an online course at ATU Sligo, you will be required to pay a non-refundable deposit of €250 to secure your place. Your deposit will then be credited against the course fees once you are registered as a student. Students at ATU Sligo are also eligible to claim tax relief at the standard rate for tuition fees.

For further information and guidance about Fees and Funding for online and part-time courses at ATU Sligo, click here.

If you are seeking to take your exams online, and you meet the eligibility criteria (overseas students and those with extenuating circumstances), an additional examinations fee will apply. For further information, please visit our Examinations webpage. 

Course Format

Semester 1