Early years is a key priority for Astrea Academy Trust, who strive to give each child the best start in life, focusing on developmental needs of the children and not just their academic achievement. Which is why Astrea Academy Trust embarked on the Brain-SET project looking at classroom design through the lens of children's brain development. This year-long project addressed classroom design in terms of lighting, noise, the use of colour, furniture layout and more. The aim was to really bring calm into children's lives, which is particularly important for areas of disadvantage which Astrea Academy Trust schools work within.  In this first episode Asma Maqsood-Shah (Primary Regional Director for Astrea Academy Trust and Strategic Lead for EY) and Nicky Turner (National Lead for EY for Astrea Academy Trust) share the background to the project and talk us through the impact on children, families, educators and leaders so far. To find out more about the project and listen to more episodes visit: https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/projects/astrea-academy-trust-project Episode break down: 00:00 - Introduction to Astrea Academy Trust and the Brain-SET project 05:47 - Where did this project begin and why? 11:16 - Bringing calm into children's lives 14:07 - Supporting holistic development, wellbeing and life skills 16:58 - The different stages of the project 17:45 - The impact of ambient lighting on emotional states 20:55 - A common understanding between leaders and educators 23:40 - Getting all leaders and educators on board with the project 25:40 - Mentoring for practitioners and EY leads 28:00 - Understanding the science behind classroom environments 29:10 - A whole Trust strategy 33:40- Educators feeling proud of their learning environments 36:25 - The future of the project For more episodes visit The Voice of Early Childhood website: https://www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com