In August 2025, our sister company Orange Moon Training took a group of learners on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Malaysia courtesy of the Turing Scheme. And for the first time, we had two of our very own @Home Childcare educators take part! Alex from Cotswold Childminding Co. and Emma from Ohana Childcare. We also had our very own Kay, (Head of Quality & Safeguarding) on the trip as a chaperone and for research and partnership purposes.
The aim was to visit a variety of settings, with a focus on early years for Kay, Emma and Alex, in order to understand the similarities and differences in how education works in Malaysia. It was an educational and cultural exchange for both our UK learner group and the Malaysian staff and children. Based on the expertise and experience within our group, we focused on observing:
Safeguarding and health and safety
Teaching and learning, especially play-based learning in early years
The role of Islam in education in a majority Muslim country
- SEND provision
We also had time to visit cultural landmarks, do exciting activities, and enjoy everything this wonderful country has to offer. There were highs, lows, and everything in between, but overall it was an enriching experience for all involved. Here’s what we got up to:
Travel and Settling In
After a full day’s travel, we arrived at the hotel and had a much-needed rest on the first day. Our accomadation was in Shah Alam and were fortunate to have our hotel right next to a local mall and theme park, so we did some exploring of the local area. Some learners also took an evening trip to the capital, Kuala Lumpur, to visit the iconic Petronas Towers at night.
First Day of Placement - Introductions at Little Caliphs
Our first day of placement was at Little Caliphs Centre of Excellence in Shah Alam. Little Caliphs is an Islamic nursery chain operating throughout Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and beyond. In fact, as part of our growing partnership, @Home Childcare is involved in helping Little Caliphs open an early years setting here in the UK!
Little Caliphs was where we’d be spending most of our time, so we had an initial introduction, sharing each of our backgrounds in education and/or safeguarding, and what we wanted to get out of the placement. We were very well taken care of by Intan, Inqa and their wonderful team. The hospitality of Malaysians is truly unmatched!
Surprise Visit to Durioo Studios
On Thursday, we had a surprise visit to Durioo, an animation studio that makes child-friendly cartoons that adhere to Islamic values. We listened to the founder’s story about his concerns regarding his own young children’s viewing habits on YouTube, and the lack of accessible children’s content that reflected Muslim culture and values.
After viewing some example cartoons, we had a Q&A session which was incredibly insightful. The topic of safety around children viewing content online, as well as screen time in general, is a huge talking point and there were many interesting opinions about how Durioo can approach this.
Sightseeing Part 1 - Kuala Lumpur, National Mosque & Melaka
For the next few days we had the opportunity to do some amazing sightseeing before our second full week of placement.
We started out travelling to Kuala Lumpur to see the Petronas Towers and then headed to the National Mosque.
From there we went on to visit Melaka (formerly known as Malacca), a historic town with many things to see. Our wonderful tour guide, Zam Zam, talked us through the key facts and landmarks as we explored.
We then had the opportunity to visit Masjid Selat Melaka, also known as the Floating Mosque, which was a remarkable sight. Although not everyone in the group was Muslim, all were welcome to enter the mosques as long as dress codes were respected. Those in the group who were Muslim were able to share information and answer questions about the prayer routine and traditions present in the mosque, providing a valuable cultural exchange for all.
Sightseeing Part 2 - Genting Highlands
On Sunday, before heading back to Shah Alam to prepare for placements, we took a detour to the amazing Genting Highlands, a must-see if you’re ever in Malaysia. Genting is another area with a visible Chinese influence, both in architecture and population, there was some amazing scenery to take in. We started off at the outlet mall for those who wanted some retail therapy, before taking cable cars going up into the mountains with incredible views. There was also an indoor and outdoor theme park, shopping mall, and even a casino! We did not have time to do it all, but it was well worth a visit.
Exploring Education in Malaysia
The next couple of days were spent observing various settings. Different members of the group were assigned to different schools, home settings, or nurseries, depending on their experience and interest. Here’s an overview of what we observed:
Little Caliphs (Section 19)
We visited a different Little Caliphs setting in Section 19 of Shah Alam. The first thing we observed was that although there were different age groups and activities taking place, the setting was very open and there was not much separation between each group of children. The environment was very loud and busy, with teachers having to raise their voices to be heard over the rest of the room. We all agreed this was different to settings in the UK and would present a challenge, especially to children with SEND. We mainly observed the learning taking place, but did get involved with some activities, with Seth leading an activity on animals which went down a storm.
After observations, we had a discussion with Iqa and Intan about what we had seen so far. We spoke about the challenges of health and safety in education in Malaysia, due to there not being as much support or legislation from the government, meaning that negligent or abusive incidents can end up going without consequence. We also discussed the growing need to support SEND children and agreed to help provide resources for LC around this, including replacing some sensory books.
SMK Putrajaya (Presint 9)
Another setting observed was SMK Putrajaya, a government (public) secondary school in Putrajaya, about an hour away from Shah Alam. The school was celebrating Independence Day with a special assembly which we were invited to attend. It was extremely grand and impressive, with a choir performance, cadets, and more.
We observed a science class of 18-year-olds doing a chemistry experiment. It started with the teacher asking students to attempt to solve a problem on the whiteboard before splitting into groups and carrying out the experiment themselves. The students seemed very happy and genuinely supportive of each other, valuing the importance of teamwork.
We then looked at the experience of SEND students at the school. During break times a snack shop is opened which is run by some of the SEND students at the school, giving them opportunities to enhance their social and leadership skills. We visited the SEND block, where students with identified additional needs are educated. We noticed there were many positive images and quotes displayed, which was nice to see. We looked at multiple classes, from a PE class preparing for a competition to an art student who had been recognised for her talents and even gone viral on TikTok!
Brainy Bunch (Islamic Montessori School)
We visited Brainy Bunch, a nursery-to-secondary school with Islamic and Montessori principles. We learned about their origins from a business point of view (since there is no funding for early education, nurseries have to be more business-minded in order to attract parents and investment), as well as their educational and ethical mission to promote the values of play-based, child-led learning with Islamic values embedded.
We observed some classrooms from nursery to secondary school age and were impressed to see children directing their own learning. Some would be interacting with the teacher, some would be doing solo or small group activities, and some (especially the younger children) would be engaging in free play.
Another unique feature was the side-businesses connected to the school, they had their own food stalls, coffee shops and drink company!
Little Caliphs - Sports Day, Assembly and Safeguarding
After a couple of days of observations, we had a bit of a feel for the Malaysian education system overall. The rest of our placement would be spent getting to know the staff and students at Little Caliphs more, and engaging in a more in-depth exchange of ideas, methods, and knowledge.
On Wednesday, after an assembly full of singing and dancing, the children had some sports day activities. We split up to observe different age groups and saw how they combined the monthly learning theme of vegetables with the physical activity sessions. Children had to run, jump and hop over obstacles before identifying images of vegetables with the teacher.
We quickly identified some children with clear SEND needs who weren’t being supported enough during lessons. Some of us took time to engage with these children to help them feel more included. In keeping with our plans for the week, we decided to plan some activities and find more resources to help these children.
After observations, we had a safeguarding discussion with Intan and Iqa. We identified some big differences between the UK and Malaysia. There is a lack of safeguarding legislation and government support for keeping children safe, and staff in Malaysia are not always able to intervene or report concerns as easily. We agreed with them that this is an area where we could collaborate further and share our safeguarding knowledge with LC in the future.
Class Activities, Social Media & Merdeka Celebrations
On Thursday some of us went back into the classrooms at Little Caliphs, with pre-planned activities this time, and had a go at sharing some methods that we use for teaching and learning back in the UK. This included water play, arts and crafts with potatoes (keeping in with the vegetable learning theme), and even a spa day! The other half of the group met with Ihsan, part of the social media and marketing department at LC. We discussed marketing techniques for both LC in Malaysia and childminder and nursery settings back in the UK. We were surprised to hear how much influencers play a role in promoting early years settings in Malaysia, with LC working with influencers to promote the unique aspects of their setting, such as Little Hajj.
We were then invited to Integrated Islamic School Shah Alam (IISS) by Farida to attend the Merdeka (Independence or ‘Freedom’ Day celebrations). This was one of the highlights of the trip! The children put on songs, dances, recitals, and performances and showed a sincere passion and joy for their country and culture. We were treated as special guests, invited onto the stage at the end, and even asked for autographs by some of the children on the way out!
Sensory Toys, Goodbyes and Friday Prayers
Throughout the week we had been collecting resources for sensory toys and books for the children at Little Caliphs to use. On Friday morning we arrived at the setting early to finish putting these together.
We then had our final round of observations in lessons. By this time, we’d all begun to bond with the children and felt more confident to participate and take turns leading the class when the teacher allowed. We had an emotional goodbye with all the children and staff who had made us feel so welcome throughout our time in Malaysia, exchanging gifts, hugs, and promising to stay in touch and continue our collaborative work in the future.
Since it was Friday, we visited Masjid (Mosque) Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah in Shah Alam for Friday prayers and were able to have a quick tour of a nearby museum of Islam, learning about the life of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Last Day of Sightseeing and Final Reflections
We had a day and a half of free time left before our early flight back home. Some of us took the hour-long trip to Morib Beach to see the sunset, others went to the water park in Shah Alam near the hotel, and some did some final retail therapy at the mall. We also took time to finish our workbooks and even managed to squeeze in a mini trip to Batu Caves and Central Market in Kuala Lumpur before getting as much rest as we could ahead of our departure for the airport.
Overall, our trip to Malaysia was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We made new friends and had experiences we never thought possible, from immersing ourselves in a new culture to engaging in educational exchanges, learning and understanding a whole new educational system, forming partnerships for future collaboration, and experiencing the warmth and hospitality of the Malaysian people. We’re all grateful for the opportunity and hopefully, it won’t be our last time here!
