by Samantha Major-Linihan from Coin Street in Waterloo, London
At Coin Street, our commitment to high-quality early years care means tailoring every detail of our provision for our youngest learners-from home visits to physical play. We have taken key findings from OFSTED’s Getting it Right from the Start research review to support our practice. Here is how we make it happen:
Home Visits: Building Trust and Understanding
We begin our relationship with families right where it matters most-their home. Home visits allow us to:
- Meet each child in their familiar environment, observe their routines and preferences, and collaboratively establish a warm, trusting partnership with parents.
- Adapt our initial care and learning plans to align with the 0–2 child’s home rhythms, comforts, and developmental stage.
- We can gain a rich understanding of what home life is like for each child and their families as well as discover what experiences the child has been exposed to. This means we can intervene and offer support, where needed right from the very start.
This approach aligns with the emphasis placed in OFSTED’s report on frequent, high-quality adult–child interactions from birth as essential to delivering quality provision —and we bring that commitment directly into families’ homes. The evidence informed ShREC approach also supports interactions with our youngest learners so we can best support the build of babies’ brains.
Induction and Training: Equipping Staff for Excellence
All staff who work with under-2s at our setting are required, as part of their induction, to complete under-2 development training with the National College. This ensures they:
- Understand the unique developmental milestones and sequencing necessary for this age group.
- Are informed by evidence that practitioners with higher qualifications and specific, age-appropriate training demonstrate a stronger knowledge and understanding of high-quality care for babies and toddlers.
This proactive measure helps prevent misconceptions about early years pedagogy and supports more intentional, informed practice.
Physical Play: Supporting Healthy Growth and Development
At Coin Street physical play is embedded into our curriculum for under-2s, recognising that movement is fundamental for physical health and cognitive development. We create opportunities every day for babies and toddlers to move, climb, crawl, stretch, balance and explore their bodies in safe and stimulating ways.
- Our baby room environment includes soft play, climbing structures such as an indoor climbing frame and a safe outdoor space designed specifically for our under 2s.
- We encourage tummy time, crawling, reaching, cruising and early walking which supports both gross and fine motor skills. The baby room has a section within the room, separate from the main space allowing our youngest babies to engage in tummy time freely in their own space.
- Practitioners are trained to engage alongside the babies, modelling and scaffolding movement through play.
This aligns with the OFSTED’s evidence that Early Years pedagogy should be sequenced and responsive to developmental stages, ensuring children build secure foundations in movement and coordination before advancing to more complex skills (gov.uk). By embedding physical play into our curriculum, we help babies to develop strength, confidence and independence whilst also supporting their personal social and emotional development.
Aligning practice with evidence
Key Principle from OFSTED Research
How Coin Street Applies It
High-quality interactions are critical from birth
Home visits and attentive induction
ensure rich interactions early on. (gov.uk)
Qualifications and specific training matter
National college under-2s training ensures staff are equipped and knowledgeable (gov.uk)
Sequencing matters-learning progressing step-by-step
Physical play supports incremental learning in line with developmental progression (gov.uk)
Final Thoughts
At Coin Street Family and Children’s Centre, our approach to caring for under-2s is both loving and evidence-informed:
- Home visits set the tone for family-engaged, tailored care. The importance of the key person in forging the link between home and setting.
- Specialist training ensures our team members bring both knowledge and confidence to their roles. A well-trained team delivers quality care and early education.
- Physical play helps little ones build strong, healthy foundations for future learning. Understanding the small developmental steps in PD helps practitioners facilitate learning.
Together, these practices echo and reflect OFSTED’s findings emphasized in Getting It Right From The Start, allowing us to truly support and nurture the youngest in our community.
Useful links:
Physical Development Evidence store on the EEF website, EEF | Physical Development
Brilliant Babies to Terrific Toddlers - A Tool for Reflection.pdf