Losing the 'monopoly': A French experience of playwork practice

Abstract : This article explores the implementation of PlayPods, designed by Children's Scrapstore in the UK, in two French school playgrounds as part of an Erasmus+ project. The use of PlayPods was an innovative undertaking in France where playwork is an emerging discipline. The researchers used an ethnographic approach to examine the two settings, based on observation and focus groups with children and animateurs to collect data. The findings include responses to the training presentation and four key issues, which were (1) the scrap material, (2) the animateurs' position, (3) conflicts among children and (4) the risks. I conclude with a discussion of the relationship between children's play and French animateurs who adopted an intermediate position between their usual practices and playwork principles.