Playwork goes to school: Professional (mis)recognition and playwork practice in primary school

Cullen, Fin; Johnston, Craig

Abstract

The article considers some of the key contemporary challenges facing playwork professionals in England when working in interagency and inter-professional contexts, specifically in English primary schools. This paper is based on a small-scale qualitative evaluation of a pilot play project situated within a primary school in a large English town. By drawing on broader debates within sociological literature and interview and observational data, this paper provides insights into the gendered, classed and interprofessional discourses that are in play within a new phase of the austere economic and occupational public sector landscape. Drawing on concepts of ‘misrecognition’, the authors’ explore issues of professional power, the process of professionalisation and how aspects such as gender and status shape contemporary inter-professional dynamics in schools and playwork contexts.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 20, 2016
• Online Publication Date: Dec 27, 2017
• Publication Date: Jul 3, 2018
• Deposit Date: Dec 20, 2022
• Journal: Pedagogy, Culture and Society
• Print ISSN: 1468-1366
• Electronic ISSN: 1747-5104
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 26
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 467-484
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2017.1421569
• Keywords: Education; Cultural Studies; Playwork; professionalism; misrecognition, role models; inter-professional culture; austerity
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/10255423
• Publisher URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14681366.2017.1421569?journalCode=rpcs20
• Additional Information: Peer Review Statement: The publishing and review policy for this title is described in its Aims & Scope.; Aim & Scope: http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?show=aimsScope&journalCode=rpcs20