Nursery World - Portman Early Childhood Centre, London

'To plan an early years environment well, you need to know a lot about child development and how children learn,' says Joanne White, head of the 85-place Portman Early Childhood Centre in central London. 'If you don't get the provision right, you're much less likely to get the learning right.' At the centre, children can navigate easily from the welcome area to the different areas of permanent provision and have free-flow access to the outdoors. Resources are easily accessible and clearly labelled, so promoting the children's freedom of choice in what they do and fostering their independence.

At the centre, children can navigate easily from the welcome area to the different areas of permanent provision and have free-flow access to the outdoors. Resources are easily accessible and clearly labelled, so promoting the children's freedom of choice in what they do and fostering their independence.

Staff at the centre believe that the environment should be organic, responding to children's changing needs and interests. 'You also need to be reflective and responsive to how the children use the environment,' says Ms White. 'It shouldn't be static.'

In response to the children's recent interest in princesses, staff headed to a local wine shop for wine boxes, which the children then used to build a castle. Since then, the castle has become a police station, reverted to a castle and, as Christmas approached, become a stable. 'It will be there for as long as there is an interest in it,' says Ms White. 'The children can transform it into whatever they want it to be, and that's its power.'

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