Nursery World - Planning the environment

When selecting premises for a childcare setting, safety, security and suitability for the purpose seem obvious priorities. These elements provide a good starting point when considering what a high-quality environment looks like in practice. The conditions of the physical environment impact heavily on the effectiveness of the setting as a context for learning, and compromise can limit children's opportunities or inhibit their disposition to learn. In physical terms, the indoor environment must be well lit, ideally with plenty of sources of natural light. Rooms should be maintained at an adequate temperature and be properly ventilated. The premises should be clean and well-maintained and should offer adequate space for the children attending, and also space for storing equipment.

In physical terms, the indoor environment must be well lit, ideally with plenty of sources of natural light. Rooms should be maintained at an adequate temperature and be properly ventilated. The premises should be clean and well-maintained and should offer adequate space for the children attending, and also space for storing equipment.

These basic requirements are essential for providing a comfortable and appropriate space for young children. However, to plan an environment that really embraces and supports young children as learners, practitioners need to understand the nature of children's learning.

Safety and security

For children to develop as confident learners, they need to feel secure.

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