How to create an enabling environment in the early years

Why we want to create enabling environments

In an early years classroom, the learning environment is the second most important teaching resource after a skilled adult. Young children learn best through active, play-based experiences. That's why we must thoughtfully design the environment to help them thrive as successful learners.

This case study is part of a series exploring the four overarching principles of the early years foundation stage: the unique child, positive relationships, enabling environments, and learning and development.

How we create an enabling environment in the early years

Our learning environment at Ashby Hill Top Primary School has evolved over the years as we’ve deepened our knowledge and experience as practitioners. Our practice is research-based so we carefully consider any new information about how young children learn best and implement it if it’s appropriate for our demographic.

Using our space as a tool to achieve the best environment for learning means we can cater for all children – no matter where they are on their developmental journey.

A static learning environment wouldn’t meet the changing needs of children. By adapting the environment throughout the year, we can provide what each child needs at the right time to keep moving their learning forward. We've created a space where:

• Children are excited, self-motivated learners who lead their own learning in a purposeful and meaningful way.
• Children are emotionally supported and ready to learn.
• The needs of both the cohort and the individual child are met.

Here’s how we do it:

1. We create a learning environment for every child, every year

Recognising that each new cohort enters school with different needs and interests has made us more intentional in changing our learning environment every year.

During the induction process, we proactively gather two insights to help reshape the classroom environment before the start of the school year:

• Information on children’s interests and starting points.
• Observations on how children interact within the learning environment.

Changes might be as simple as increasing the size of the music and performance area or as significant as introducing a new learning space. For example, one year we heard from pre-schools that some children’s language and communication skills were less developed. Staff moved the domestic roleplay area to the heart of the classroom to promote and model language in an area that children are naturally drawn to.

These carefully considered changes give every child the best possible chance to settle quickly and have their needs met from the start. We also observe how children interact with the environment and with each other to keep making changes throughout the year.

2. We monitor wellbeing and involvement

Using Ferre Laevers’ ‘Scales of Well-Being and Involvement’, staff monitor each child’s sense of emotional safety within the classroom. This helps us understand how ready they are to learn.

According to the scales, children who aren’t yet experiencing high levels of wellbeing and involvement are unable to take in new information, as their social and emotional needs aren’t being met. In contrast, children who display high levels of wellbeing and involvement are cheerful, open and spontaneous – they're eager to explore and learn.

The ongoing process of understanding each child’s wellbeing and involvement means we can identify how to change the learning environment so that every child can reach the emotional state necessary for deep-level learning. If a child isn’t showing high involvement, we ask ourselves, ‘what changes do we need to make to facilitate this?’

3. We design for focus and calm

Our large, open-plan base with 45 children in the space is a challenge for us. The space can become noisy, distracting or even overwhelming. By using furniture creatively, we have designed small, enclosed areas where children can settle and become deeply engrossed in play.

The learning areas vary in size depending on their purpose: collaborative areas such as block play are larger, while quieter areas such as the doodle den are smaller. This has created a calmer, quieter environment where children feel secure, distractions are minimised and purposeful play can flourish. Some other features of our space are:

• Spaces that promote social development and collaboration.
• Areas that allow for quiet, focused engagement.
• Large enough spaces for adults to purposefully engage with children.

Staff have noticed increased levels of wellbeing and involvement among children when we made these changes to our environment.