In Conversation: Resourcing for Play in Schools and Children’s Services

Tracks
Education & The Arts
Thursday, June 26, 2025
9:15 AM - 10:15 AM

Details

How do we shift prioritisation of resourcing to encourage quality play? Are schools’ resources meeting students’ play needs as they progress through schooling? How do we shift play from being seen as an extracurricular activity to an essential pedagogical tool? Are current educator training programs adequately preparing educators to incorporate play into their practice?


Speaker

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Eve Clark
Health Promotion - School Years
Population Health Promotion, NSLHD

Play Alchemist

Biography

Eve Clark, Population Health Promotion - School Years team, Northern Sydney Local Health District. Project designer, researcher and advocate for school play spaces and children's screen use management. Eve was a Social Worker for the first part of her career, working on community development initiatives, and has since been working in Health Promotion for many years. Eve has worked on a range of population health initiatives and currently implements the Live Life Well @ School program, a NSW Ministry of Health and school sector initiative to integrate health and well-being into school environments. Eve has a passion for projects that support children to be active outdoors to provide them with the best developmental outcomes. She loves being active outdoors and grew up enjoying the outdoors and had plenty of space and time to move and play.
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Ellie Davidson
Senior Regional Play Consultant
Sport New Zealand Ihi Aotearoa

Empowering play: Enhancing School Breaktimes

Biography

Ellie Davidson has over 20 years of experience in education, sports, community development, and local government. As the Senior Regional Play Consultant at Sport New Zealand, she oversees national play initiatives across 18 partners and aligns Sport New Zealand's strategy of every body active through empowering a national workforce who work across education settings. Ellie supports the capability build of the workforce to maintain physical activity levels of tamariki through her specialist work. Ellie holds a Bachelor of Education and a Diploma of Teaching, which have supported her extensive teaching career both internationally and in New Zealand. Her passion for child development and play led her to become the first certified PARS Playwork Trainer in Australasia. Known for her dynamic leadership and enthusiasm, Ellie excels in aligning strategic goals with actionable plans, fostering collaboration among diverse stakeholders, and achieving operational excellence. She inspires and mobilises teams to drive impactful initiatives that benefit communities and enhance children's lives. Beyond her professional achievements, Ellie is a dedicated advocate for the power of play in child development. She believes play is a fundamental right for every child and works tirelessly to ensure all children have access to quality play opportunities.
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