Paul Speller

My story at Phoenix Play began in 2022, having previously taught as a Reception Teacher in Sussex following my graduation from university with a Masters-Level accredited PGCE - specialising in the Early Years.

I have a deep understanding of how children learn and grow, particularly in those all-important formative years, and I am hugely passionate about providing exciting and stimulating playful experiences that develop the ‘whole’ child.

Child-led and play-based learning is the best form of education and there is no better environment for this than the great outdoors. Whether it be a playground, an EYFS-adapted space, the woods or the local high street, the opportunity to engage and interact with the world around them in all manner of ways is invaluable to a child’s holistic development.

What I find so wonderful about children is that they are so innately driven to explore, enquire, question, and investigate.  To be fortunate enough to be in a position where I can use my expertise and experience to facilitate this is a real privilege!

Life to me is one big adventure and one of my biggest passions is travel, having lived in both Australia and Vietnam and explored 22 different countries across the world. I am fortunate enough to also live amongst the beautiful Sussex South Downs and just a stone’s throw from the seaside.

I am also very active and absolutely love being outdoors whenever I can – be it playing sports, exploring the countryside, or being kept fit by my wonderfully curious and relentlessly active three children. 

So be it at work or at home, life is forever play, play, play!