Become the educator your students need right now.
Teachers everywhere are stretched thin. Workloads are heavy, expectations keep rising, the nature of our students are changing in a fast-paced world and traditional Professional Development often leaves educators feeling drained, disengaged and not inspired.
The School of Play Academy is here to change that. Our Certificate in Play-Based Well-being Education is a one-of-a-kind professional learning experience that is practical, energising, and transformative. It equips educators and leaders across the globe with the skills, confidence, and resources to embed play as a pathway to better teaching, improved engagement, stronger relationships, improved mental health and well-being and the driving factor behind creating positive classroom cultures.
Built around the power of play, connection and human-centred practice, this five-module journey equips teachers with practical strategies to boost engagement, strengthen wellbeing and build positive, connected classroom cultures. The Academy is about giving educators the tools, confidence and clarity to create learning environments where students feel safe, motivated and ready to thrive.
Reflection-based PD your VIT registration actually counts.
Every module pairs an idea with a reflection task, an in-class implementation, an evidence prompt and an impact write-up: the four-part structure VIT looks for. Documentation provided on completion for your registration body.
Each module builds naturally on the one before it, creating a connected learning journey. However, you can also jump into the modules most relevant to your needs. The Academy is completely self-paced, giving you the flexibility to learn in the way that works best for you.
Teachers believe in play.
Teachers can use play immediately.
Teachers can differentiate for and engage a range of learners with confidence.
Teachers can lead through play.
Teachers can sustain and embed change.
Each module is a complete professional learning experience, featuring a 45–60 minute webinar with Dale and Paul, in-depth textbook chapters, guided reflection tasks, practical implementation challenges and impact reflections that help you take the learning from theory into your everyday practice. Here's what you'll explore across the five modules.
Unlocking Engagement, Wellbeing & Learning
Focus
Understanding the science and impact of play.
Outcome
Teachers believe in play.
Reset, Refocus, Re-engage
Focus
Practical strategies for immediate classroom impact.
Outcome
Teachers can use play immediately.
Supporting Neurodiversity Through Play
Focus
Supporting neurodivergent learners through play.
Outcome
Teachers can differentiate for and engage a range of learners with confidence.
Building Trust, Culture & Connection
Focus
Leadership, culture and psychological safety.
Outcome
Teachers can lead through play.
Play-Based Strategies for Culture & Classroom Management
Focus
Embedding play into behaviour and classroom culture.
Outcome
Teachers can sustain and embed change.
Simple, meaningful, evidence-based. Exactly what teachers need for professional learning hours, and exactly what VIT looks for in your registration evidence.
A short written or video reflection: what was the key insight, how does it connect to your current practice, and what challenged your thinking?
Trial one strategy in your classroom: a structured brain break, a play-based transition, a connection routine. Pick one, run it, watch what happens.
Gather light-touch evidence: photos where appropriate, lesson notes, a student observation, a behaviour or engagement reflection. Stays in your portfolio.
Four prompts: what did you try, what changed, what worked well, what would you refine next time? Honest beats long.
Once you've completed all five modules and successfully uploaded every task for review, you'll receive a Certificate of Completion from The School of Play Academy, recognising the work you've put into embedding play-based practice in your classroom.
Every module is written and delivered by Dale and Paul, with guest contributors from across the partner-school network. No outsourced trainers. No theory-only modules. Every strategy has been tested in real classrooms before it lands in yours.
TEDx speaker, two-time Wiley author and founder of The School of Play. Over two decades working across schools, sporting clubs, corporates and families in 25+ countries, training 50,000+ educators along the way.
Meet the founders →Co-author of 365 Days of Play and co-founder of The School of Play. Paul has spent two decades in positive education and wellbeing, as a facilitator, author and play educator working across schools, communities and organisations worldwide.
Meet the founders →Real educators. Real classrooms. Real change.
“Best PD I've ever done, and I've been teaching 18 years. Practical from day one. My class felt different inside a week.”
“The reflection tasks were the unlock. Trying one thing, seeing the change, writing it down; that's where the practice actually shifted.”
“We bought a whole-school licence and onboarded 32 staff in a single staff meeting. The energy in our staffroom shifted.”
One individual price. One whole-school option. No surprises. Enrol today and start the same week.
Can't find what you're looking for? Drop us a line and we'll get back to you within one business day.
Real answers, real humans.
No bots, no run-arounds.
Most teachers complete the five modules in 4–6 weeks at 60–90 minutes per week. You can compress it into a long weekend or stretch it across a term; the platform is self-paced and your progress saves automatically.
Every module includes a reflection task, an implementation task, an evidence collection prompt and an impact reflection: the four-part structure VIT looks for. This structure maps directly to AITSL’s professional standards descriptors. Documentation is provided on completion for your registration body.
Once you’ve completed all five modules and successfully uploaded every task for review, you’ll receive a Certificate of Completion from The School of Play Academy that you can attach to your professional portfolio.
Whole-school licences are available at substantially reduced per-teacher rates, with onboarding sessions and an aligned PD plan. Talk to us about cohort pricing.
No. The Academy serves PE/Health teachers, classroom teachers F–12, school leaders, counsellors and educators in alternative settings. Each module adapts to your role and year level; the strategies scale up to senior secondary and down to early childhood.
Yes. Your enrolment includes 12 months of access to the full Academy library: every module, every webinar, every supporting resource, plus updates as new content drops.
The educator your students need is one enrolment away. Five modules. One certificate of completion. A practice that students can feel from the door.
