Personal Statement

My name is Hayley Jones, I am 28 years old, and I live in Belper, Derbyshire. I am playful, creative, compassionate, and open-minded. I have a current up-to-date DBS and I have an understanding of Safeguarding and ethical practices. I am passionate about the connection between creativity and psychological well-being. I am in my 3rd year of BA Undergraduate in Creative Arts, Health, and Wellbeing. I feel my training and experiences within this course have helped me with a theoretical framework to develop my skills as a creative arts practitioner. It has informed me of the importance of providing ethical practice and an anti-oppressive approach during facilitation. I know about safeguarding principles and have done training in Safeguarding level 1.

I have over 8 years of experience working with children in a range of different settings. Before I started this degree, I worked in a creative play center called All Day Play (children aged 0-8yrs). During this time, I assisted in the facilitation of creative art workshops that encouraged children to connect with their creativity using play and experimentation. This ranged from the use of sensory play (water, sand, and playdough), to expressive mark-making, using natural materials and clay. Whilst facilitating this we always considered the children’s needs and adapted the activities to suit them.

The visual art element I brought forward to each creative workshop was focused on sensory awareness and encouraging them to enjoy the process of creating rather than judging the outcome of it being right or wrong. This supported me in understanding the importance of explorative arts and play workshops, and how they can provide a safe space for children to process emotions without the use of words. This experience inspired me to want to develop my theoretical understanding of the therapeutic benefits of creativity. This is why I decided to study BA in Creative Arts, Health, and Wellbeing.

I am a qualified Forest school practitioner, and my current role is as a Forest school facilitator for Derby Forest School. I currently work part-time at the nature nursery sessions (children aged 2-4 years) providing child-led learning and sensory play. I also help run the holiday clubs which have a range of activities that support children’s emotional and physical development, help improve their self-esteem, and help to build resilience. Whilst working within this role I can see the importance of learning through play and how it can have an impact on children’s confidence, imagination, and emotional regulation. Through child-centred learning, I have observed how this can support their curiosity for understanding the world through their learning and imagination. I feel it is important to build trusting relationships with children and to consider their individual emotional and physical needs, this can support them to feel heard and valued.

I also work part-time as a freelance creative arts practitioner for Buzzing Roots CIC. I have been involved in the school roots project, I have been going into primary schools running creative arts and mindfulness workshops. These workshops aim to encourage children to tune into their senses and to discover their connection with nature and creativity.

I am interested in developing my experience and knowledge within the early years setting and plan to continue the pathway of working with children by doing an MA in Play therapy after I graduate. I feel very passionate about developing my understanding deeper in how to provide a safe space for children to express their feelings and thoughts through play and creativity. I am very passionate about developing my skills as a creative practitioner to hold space for this to be possible. I feel that learning from other creative practitioners involved in this project will support my development.