“Play Isn’t a Distraction, It’s a Way In”. Why We Need Playful Approaches in GCSE Resits

Let’s be honest, GCSE resits can be tough! Not just for learners, but for us as teachers too. Every September, we welcome a group of students who already think they’ve failed. They carry that weight with them, frustration, anxiety, shame.

Each year, thousands of learners return to maths and English classrooms for a second (or third) attempt at their GCSEs. These aren’t learners who’ve “failed”, they’re learners still finding their way. Many are capable and curious, but school didn’t quite click for them the first time. Maybe the pace wasn’t right. Maybe confidence took a knock. Maybe life just got in the way. Whatever the reason, they’ve come back, and that alone deserves recognition.

But if we want them to succeed this time around, we need to offer something that feels different. Because what didn’t work before isn’t likely to work now. That’s where play comes in.

What do we mean by “play”?

Let’s clear this up straight away: play isn’t messing around or wasting time. It’s not turning the lesson into a party. It’s about creating permission, to take risks, to get things wrong without shame, to actually enjoy learning again.

Play is a mindset, a method, and a mechanism for change. As the brilliant Professors at Play Online PlayBook puts it, play helps learners re-engage. It builds trust. It helps us move away from compliance-based education and towards connection. And connection, especially in the resit classroom, is everything.

And here’s the beautiful, messy truth: playful approaches rarely result in neat, uniform outcomes. And that’s exactly the point. Life isn’t neat. Human understanding isn’t tidy. We need to stop treating unpredictable results as failure, they’re often where the most learning happens.

Socialising the room, building trust

I’ve been inspired by work from Innoplay, a UK-based project that promotes play-driven innovation in education. Their approach recognises play as part of our biological, emotional, and social development, not just a pedagogical tool. As they say, play isn’t an “add-on”; it’s how we’re wired to learn, to connect, and to imagine new possibilities. In FE, that insight feels more relevant than ever.

Drawing on Innoplay’s project, one of the biggest things play offers is the ability to socialise the room. Many learners arrive in resit classes feeling isolated, physically present but emotionally checked out. A bit of light, structured play (think quickfire icebreakers, daft quizzes, collaborative challenges) can completely shift the group dynamic. It gives students a low-stakes way to connect.

We can start our classes with something playful, an image to discuss, a music track, a question that has no “right” answer. Music especially is a powerful connector. It cuts through barriers. It reminds us we’re human. A few years ago when I worked purely in FE learner said, “You’re the only class that plays music while we work. It makes me feel calm.” That’s not just vibe-setting, it’s pedagogy.

Because when learners feel safe, they participate more. And when they participate more, they learn more.

What this looks like in practice

In my own work with Functional Skills and GCSE resit learners (and adult apprentices too), I’ve started weaving in playful approaches. Some are big, but many are small, quick wins that bring energy back into the room:

• Maths escape rooms: Learners solve real-life problems to break out of themed scenarios, no worksheets in sight.
• BuzzFeed-style grammar quizzes: “Which punctuation mark are you?” might sound daft, but it gets learners talking (and learning).
• Creative starters: In English, I’ve used “describe a character just by their shoes” as a way to build narrative writing skills, students love it.
• Student-designed challenges: Let them create the quiz, the Kahoot, the riddle. When they take ownership, the energy changes.

These aren’t just gimmicks, they’re chosen to build community, spark interest, and increase trust. That trust leads to more authentic conversations, more risk-taking, and ultimately, more learning.

This helps us, too

Let’s not pretend we’re all thriving. I’ve spoken to so many FE teachers recently who feel drained, undervalued, and stuck on the hamster wheel. Resit teaching can feel like a thankless task: same content, new group, same pressure to “get them through”.

But here’s the thing. When I started using playful pedagogy, it didn’t just help my learners. It helped me.

I started enjoying my lessons again. I remembered why I went into teaching in the first place. I laughed more. I took more risks. I got curious again. And that had a ripple effect, my students could feel it. Because the truth is: when we’re bored or burnt out, they feel it. And when we’re energised and open, they feel that too.

Play reconnects us with the human side of teaching. It reminds us that we’re not robots delivering content. We’re people, people who need joy, creativity, and connection as much as our learners do.

“We don’t have time for this”

That’s the pushback I hear the most. But if students aren’t engaging, if staff are demotivated, and if outcomes are flatlining, can we really afford not to try something different?

Play doesn’t have to take over your scheme of work. It can be a 5-minute starter. A music playlist. A meme. A moment of laughter. It’s not about overhauling your curriculum; it’s about bringing some life back into it.

As one contributor in the Professors at Play community put it, “When students feel like they can fail safely, they’re more willing to try.” In resit teaching, that’s half the battle won.

FE has always done things differently

FE is a sector of second chances. They specialise in learners who don’t fit the mould, and we should be proud of that. So let’s stop trying to copy schools and start embracing what makes FE special: relationships, responsiveness, and the freedom to rethink what learning can look like.

Play isn’t a distraction. It’s a way back in, for our learners and for us.

Let’s socialise the room. Let’s let learning be a little messy. Let’s turn up the music. And most importantly, let’s not be afraid to try something that might just work.

By Lindsey Poole, Functional Skills Lead and an academic mentor at the University of Exeter