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Sue has been a teacher and Early Years coordinator, a senior Early Years lead, and a local authority special advisor. She's been trained and accredited in the BrainSET approach and has achieved a Level 2 award in 'An Introduction to Neuroscience in the Early Years'. As well as being on the editorial board of Early Years Educator for many years, she's also written books of her own. Sue is also a long serving member of TACTYC, where she's a trustee.
Sue quotes Loris Malaguzzi's concept of the environment as the "third teacher", emphasizing how the physical and emotional aspects of a space can teach children. Sue stresses the importance of creating welcoming environments where children feel known and comfortable, as evidenced by their joyful and engaging behaviour.
"The environment is everything. The emotional environment: how you are with the children. The physical environment: what does the room say? The outdoors, the entrance hall, the door, what does it all say? What messages are being given?"
Sue Allingham
According to the statutory framework (the EYFS), "Children learn and develop well in enabling environments with teaching and support from adults, who respond to their individual interests and needs and help them to build their learning over time". Alongside The Unique Child, Positive Relationships, and learning and development, it is one of the overarching principles of the EYFS.
Space for children should reflect their unique needs, where staff understand and welcome all types of families. More practically, children should have access to a range of activities and provision to help them play and learn. You should offer both indoor and outdoor play, as well as opportunities for rest or quiet time. There should also be opportunities for managed risk, challenge, and problem-solving.
Sue introduces the BrainSet approach, developed by Dr. Catherine Murray, which focuses on creating environments that support children's brain development through safety, emotions, and thinking. Sue emphasises the importance of environments making children feel emotionally safe, allowing them to play and explore freely. This safe space, coupled with supportive relationships, means children have a strong sense of belonging.
Sue advises keeping the environment simple when preparing for a new cohort of children, as they need time to learn how the environment works and adjust to the new setting. Make sure you focus on supporting the children to be happy and relaxed before worrying about the physical space or learning and development.
As adults, we can become accustomed to visually noisy classrooms and may not notice the overwhelming effect on children. Sue recommends considering the child's perspective by getting down to their level and experiencing the environment from their point of view, including visual (how it looks), olfactory (how it smells), and tactile (how it feels) sensations.
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