Green

our vision

Every family makes the most of everyday learning opportunities which improve life chances and help narrow the gap in attainment.

our mission

Peeple exists to help parents improve their children’s life chances, particularly in less affluent areas, by making the most of everyday learning opportunities at home and in the community. Our core purpose is to narrow the gap in attainment particularly by supporting parents in raising their babies and young children to reach their full potential. We do this by developing interventions which support parents as their children’s first educators, by training practitioners to work with families and by supporting the implementation of our programmes. We also deliver services directly to families and help parents to gain qualifications which lead to further education or employment. In addition, we contribute to research and policy development in early years education.

Our work is underpinned by the Peeple principles.

peeple aims 2023-24

1.  Train and accredit more practitioners to support families with their young children’s learning
2.  Provide more support for trained practitioners to implement Peep programmes
3.  To accredit more parents with Peep Progression Pathway units
4.  Support more families in Oxfordshire
5.  To provide high quality early learning and childcare at Little Peeple Nursery
6.  To develop new interventions and extend the Learning Together Programme resources
7.  To share evidence and good practice with the Early Years sector, policy makers and researchers
8.  To ensure good governance, management and infrastructure

peeple annual report 

> Download our Annual Report 2022-2023

Peep programmes can only be delivered by practitioners* who have attended the relevant training course: Peep Learning Together Programme Training, Peep Progression Pathway Training or Peep Antenatal Programme Training.

[ * By 'practitioner' we mean anyone who works with or supports families, whether in a paid or voluntary capacity. See below re charging for Peep.]

We ask all training delegates (i.e. Peep practitioners) to sign an agreement that they will only share the programme with families involved in the programme and/or with practitioners who have completed the current Peep Training (i.e. since Feb 2015), and that they will not train other practitioners.

This helps us to protect and maintain the quality and integrity of the Peep programmes and delivery, by ensuring that everyone using the programme/s:

• is trained to the same standard
• uses the programme materials appropriately in their delivery
• includes all of the necessary elements that make the programme effective.

who can train practitioners to use peep programmes?

Peep practitioner training can only be delivered by Peep Trainers who have been inducted and approved by Peeple - we don't have a cascade model, there are 3 ways of being trained: 

• by Peep trainers who are employed or work freelance for Peeple, 
• by Peep trainers who are part of a local Peep Training and Support Agreement. This is when local authorities or large organisations in the UK or Republic of Ireland want to train a large number of practitioners or to continue training them over time, so they can use Peep strategically. They may then benefit from having their own Peep trainers, who are inducted and supported by Peeple. The Agreement is renewed annually. Please contact us to discuss this further: training@peeple.org.uk.
• by Peep trainers who are part of Peeple's licence agreement with Playgroup Victoria to deliver Peep Training in Australia.

can practitioners charge families to attend peep sessions?

Peeple is a charity, and we prefer Peep Learning Together sessions to be free to families. We don’t want any families to be excluded because of cost, but we know that free, universal provision for families has had many cuts over the years.

We are sometimes asked if Peep-trained practitioners can charge families to attend, on a not-for-profit basis. We ask that you look for other sources of funding first. We understand though that you may need to put together a sensitive, voluntary charging plan, which would enable those unable to pay to still access sessions.

We have also had a few enquiries from practitioners who want to offer Peep Learning Together sessions to families on a self-employed basis (i.e. charging families). We do not currently have a licensing model (which would be in keeping with our charitable aims, ensure quality and fulfil legal requirements) but will be exploring that. For now, we recommend that you contact local organisations, to see if they will either fund you to deliver Peep sessions for them on a sessional basis (i.e. paid per session) or on a voluntary basis. This could be via your local authority (e.g. children's or family centres, libraries, schools or early years settings, etc) or a local charity (e.g. HomeStart). If this isn't possible and you'd like to informally pilot charging for sessions, then do please contact us, and we can discuss maintaining quality, being inclusive for families on lower incomes, support needs and feedback, etc.

Please let us know if you’d like us to update you on any changes in the future, and do get in touch with any questions.

Email  support@peeple.org.uk  or  tel 01865 397970

Our Little Peeple Day Nursery offers education and childcare for 48 weeks of the year. You can choose whether your child attends pre-school hours or all-day sessions. We're here to meet the needs of you and your child, whether you are returning to work or education, preparing your child for school and/or want your child to socialise, play and learn with other children.

The Peeple principles are at the heart of our approach. We are here to support children, parents and carers to learn together, by valuing and building on what families already do.

We opened our Nursery - for babies and children from six months to four years - in October 2018. It was built in partnership with The Oxford Academy and Oxfordshire County Council. In summer 2019 we merged our Peep Pre-school into our new and larger nursery building.

caring for your child

Our aim is to work in partnership with you to provide the best care and education for your child before they start school. We will ensure that your child has an enjoyable time with us and that we offer an enabling and rich environment that will meet your child’s individual needs. Our setting is secure and physically comfortable, so that the children can enjoy playing, exploring and learning. We encourage the children to explore all areas – though we recognise that children sometimes have their own favourite spaces, especially if they are feeling tired or a little unsettled. We understand that children need space where they can relax and rest, particularly if they spend more than a few hours in the setting. The outside space offers opportunities for all areas of learning and development. Suitable clothing is available so that children can choose to go out whatever the weather.

> find out about how our nursery follows the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) principles and guidance.

> find out about our nursery funding, nursery hours and term-dates, and requesting a place

ofsted 

We are registered with Ofsted to care for 44 children aged from 6 months - 4 years.

We had our first Ofsted inspection in October 2019 and were pleased to be rated Good in all areas. Here is the report, and a few of the inspector's comments, illustrating the strong relationships and learning through play within Little Peeple Nursery:

'The manager and staff create a positive and purposeful learning environment. There are warm bonds between children and staff. For example, children who are a little upset at the beginning of the day are comforted by the cuddles and reassuring words from their key person. Soon these children are full of smiles and playing happily.'

'Staff ensure that children have lots of fun while also learning and developing new skills.'

'Staff make consistently good use of opportunities to engage in conversations with children. They speak clearly, introduce new words and listen to what children say. Children have many opportunities each day to listen to stories and join in with songs. These experiences are very popular with all children.'

We don't have any vacancies at the moment. 

There may be permanent, temporary or supply cover job vacancies in our Little Peeple Nursery in Littlemore, Oxford over the coming months. Please look out for further notices on this website or our social media pages.  If you have a strong interest and commitment to looking after the needs of babies to four year olds and involving parents in their child’s learning, please contact Lindsey Hart, our Early Education and Childcare Manager, to find out more about work and volunteering opportunities: littlepeeplenursery@peeple.org.uk or tel 01865 397972.

Peep parents often comment on how much confidence they have gained in supporting their child's learning. Attending Peep acts as a stepping stone into other learning and employment opportunities for some parents/carers. This might be a Peep Progression Pathway course and accreditation, a guaranteed interview for a college place via one of our college agreements, or the kickstart and self-belief to get the kind of job they wanted.  Some secondary or high schools are also collaborating with Peep practitioners, to provide opportunities for pupils interested in a career in childcare or early education to get some first hand experience. Find out more below:

> Parent to classroom assistant in Dumfries & Galloway - "I absolutely love my job and wish that I had made the move sooner but without going to the Peep group I would never have been confident enough to do it!" 

>  Family Learning & employability in Derby - using the Peep Progression Pathway: certificate in 'Supporting early learning at home'

>  Peep Progression Pathway parent accreditation with Home-Start Edinburgh West and South West - building confidence and opening doors

>  Peep in high schools in Moray - developing the young workforce, health and home school link workers, families and pupils 

>  Childcare students - one-off secondary school session in Lancashire

>  Peep parent to Peep leader Midlothian

Health and well-being of families is at the heart of Peep in various ways:

• The most frequent thing that parents/carers say they like about Peep is the supportive relationships that they develop, with other families and with practitioners. They find it reassuring to have a safe space in which to discuss the challenges (as well as the joys!) of raising babies and young children, without feeling judged. This is incredibly important for people's mental health, at what can be an isolating or difficult time. 
   
• Midwives, health visitors and community nursery nurses are often the main people, beyond close family and friends, that families have contact with during the weeks and months before and after a child's birth. The Peep Antenatal Programme and Learning Together Programme offer a simple way that they can share practical ideas with families, supporting the early development of a strong attachment relationship. This document demonstrates How Peep Learning Together supports early year Health work with families, including contributing to the six high impact areas and MECC (make every contact count) approach used by health visitors and Public Health England. 
   
• 'Health and physical development' is one of the Learning Together Programme's five strands of development. It includes 14 topics, ranging from 'Building a brain' and 'Food for life' to 'Exploring nature', 'Babies on the move' and 'Developing balance and co-ordination'. Find out more on our 'topic examples' page.

Here are a few examples of how Peep programmes are being delivered in various health contexts:

> Preparing and sharing mealtimes in nursery and home in Highland

>  Peep in child health clinics in Oxfordshire

>  Making the most of health centres in Moray

>  Healthy Peep in Midlothian - focusing on healthy eating, hygiene, exercise, co-ordination and friendships

>  Antenatal Peep online in Highland

>  Water Peep in Newcastle - babies and parents in the swimming pool

>  Multi-agency Peep: health and community learning in Edinburgh - pregnancy to babyhood: with midwives and health visitors, CLD and voluntary sector workers

>  Peep in high schools in Moray - health and home school link workers, families and pupils (developing the young workforce)

‘This year coming to Peep has helped me engage with my child through a way of learning I wouldn’t have even thought of. New techniques and ideas to make learning fun!’ – Peep parent 

‘Learning is most successful when parents/carers and teachers work in partnership and Peep supports this shared journey. Our data indicates that those involved in the Peep programme are showing rapid progress in comparison with their peers.  ’ – Head teacher
 

In Springwood Infant School in Waterlooville in Hampshire, Peep is offered to support transitions and school readiness from pre-school to reception/foundation stage class (age 3-4 to 4-5), with Peep sessions continuing during the reception class year (and now into Year 1 and Year 2, combining Peep Learning Together with the current topic/s being covered by the class teacher). Parents and their children attend weekly Peep sessions, delivered by the school’s Peep-trained Learning Support Assistant. This is initially supported by a Peep-trained pre-school practitioner.

The school serves a mixed population near the town centre, and children arrive with a wide variety of pre‑school experiences. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium/ free school meals is above average, and it is partly for this reason that the school decided to use the Peep Programme.

Peep is becoming so embedded in school culture that parents see it as a normal part of school life.  It is having a positive impact on children’s learning outcomes and their settling into school, on parents’ understanding and confidence in how they can support their children’s learning at home, and on family-school relationships. There has been a significant increase in the proportion of Peep children reaching a 'Good level of development' (GLD, the English government's target for children's outcomes at the age of five).

> Read more below, or download a copy of the Peep in reception class case study.

 ‘Brilliant free service - by far my little ones' favourite class. I took my child, now 4, to Peep as a baby and now take my second child and it's just brilliant, the babies love it.’ - Peep parent

‘Peep is a very positive programme which focuses on people’s strengths rather than their deficits, and encourages them to enjoy their children.’ -  Anne Donaldson, Lead Service Manager, Children’s Services, Aberdeen City Council

The Peep Aberdeen Service is provided by Aberdeen City Council to deliver the Peep Learning Together Programme across the City. It began in 2003 when the City Council saw how the Peep Programme could support the families of children under five to improve the quality of the home learning environment and parent-child relationships.

Peep Aberdeen was funded until 2008 by Changing Children’s Services as a way to enable multi-agency working to improve outcomes for families. Peep is now a mainstream service integrated into Family & Community Support and Children’s Social Work. Partners include Health, Social work, Education and the Third Sector. The Council have continued to invest in the work through an increase in staffing, growing capacity.

The Peep Aberdeen team provides universal Peep groups, focused Peep groups and individual support to approximately 150 families at any one time. They also train practitioners and volunteers from a variety of settings to deliver the Peep Learning Together Programme, and support them to deliver high quality provision.

The following information was provided by the Peep Aberdeen team. We would like to say thank you to them and express our admiration for all they do to improve the lives of children and families.

early intervention with care-experienced children and their parents/carers

Peep sits within Family & Community Support and Children’s Social Work as it is recognised that the service can offer early intervention to families who may require some additional support for a short period of time and that this may prevent escalation to more intensive support. Peep can also support families back into their community as part of, or following social work intervention.

We work with our Contact Centre and have trained all of their staff to deliver the Peep Learning Together Programme. The Family Learning Worker delivers 1-1 family sessions, working in partnership with the Permanence and Care Teams. For families where children are looked after at home (a ‘supervision order’) the Family Learning Worker can work with the parent and child(ren) in their home.

We work in partnership with Richmondhill House. Richmondhill House is a child-centred, residential service which provides an assessment of parenting ability, capacity and risk where improving outcomes for children is the main focus. Parents are offered a supportive and nurturing environment in which they can build their knowledge in relation to childcare skills and child development. Richmondhill House run a Peep group in the community. Residents of their service are encouraged and supported to attend during their time in the house and also once they have returned home. This can support integration back into their community and provides continuity of support. Some parents attend Peep with their children during their unsupervised contact sessions. This is usually organised in partnership with the Contact Centre staff or other Social Work contacts.

recognising adult learning: the peep progression pathway

The Peep Learning Together Programme has integrated early child development units at SCQF levels 3, 4 and 5. These integrated units are called the Peep Progression Pathway. We are working to embed this across our work and we are using improvement methodology to identify the most effective ways to do this. Our aim was that 80% of participating parent/carers would report increased confidence in parenting skills & knowledge of child development by June 2017. We achieved this aim but would like to increase the number of participants. To date we have had 59 parents and carers achieve a qualification.

A number of parents and carers are choosing to complete more than one unit and we have had enquiries about college courses. Some parents are thinking about new careers and some of our volunteers have gained paid employment. We have a progression agreement in place with North East College to allow Peep parents/carers to move from our informal, community provision to part and full time college courses.

Several parents whose children are looked after have completed a Peep Progression Pathway portfolio and gained a qualification. This has boosted their confidence and made them more aware of how they are supporting their child’s learning. Kinship carers and parents who have adopted their children are also offered the opportunity to complete a Peep Progression Pathway unit.

The Peep Progression Pathway now forms part of Foster carers' required annual training and development. Each Foster Carer completes a Peep Progression Pathway portfolio at SCQF level 5.

‘This has been a good learning experience for me. Although I have been fostering for a long time and doing all the encouraging, communication and singing etc. but have not really recognised how much the children benefit.’ - Foster carer

peep supporting families to stay together

Jill Mennie, the Peep Coordinator for Aberdeen from 2004-2017, shared this case study:

A mother joined our antenatal Peep group. She had lost the care of her first child and was pregnant with her second. She realised she wanted to make changes when pregnant with her second child and Peep provided that window of opportunity. This mum stayed with Peep until her child was 3 years old – allowing her to move through Antenatal, Baby, Toddler and Pre-school Peep. She then became a trained Peep volunteer, completing the Peep Learning Together Programme Training and the associated City and Guilds qualification. She progressed to becoming a crèche worker, completing a Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) 2 in Childcare and is currently completing a further qualification at SVQ 3. She has care of her second child and has built a good relationship with her first.

peep for 'vulnerable twos'

We have trained and supported ‘Me2’s’ – the Vulnerable Twos service in Aberdeen. This service is for the families of two-year-olds who are entitled to 600 hours per year of free childcare. Me2 staff have been trained by Peep Aberdeen to offer Peep groups and the Peep Progression Pathway. Groups are now offered in four areas. The service is developing a rolling programme which will offer parents the opportunity to complete one unit per term if they wish. One parent has just completed her second unit and has had the confidence to progress to a higher level. Others have said they would like to continue on to a second unit.

partnership working - universal and targeted groups

 The Peep Service Aberdeen has grown and grown, as have valuable partnerships. An early partnership with the Workers Education Association (WEA) led to the creation of an adult learning qualification which formed the basis of the current Peep Progression Pathway. Partnership with the NHS led to the development of a peep antenatal programme for substance misusing parents which has influenced national development of antenatal work and training by Peeple.

We offer 19 universal groups in partnership with other services and with volunteers. Other partners include the English as an Additional Language (EAL) Service, North East Sensory Service, Park Rangers and community-based parent and toddler groups. The Peep team are working with the Family Nurse Partnership to identify young parents who would benefit from Peep provision.

‘It's great to have a group for young parents that we can feed into.’ FNP nurse 

We run a book club for the Peep groups and link this to Bookbug Library Challenge. We work closely with our local Bookbug Co-ordinator who regularly visits group to provide information and encourage library membership.

Focused groups are developed and run by our Family Resource Workers, often in partnership with other teams. Current examples include 'Moving On from Domestic Abuse' and 'Low Mood (postnatal depression)'. These groups focus on Peep activities to build confidence and positive attachment relationships between adult and child, but also provide peer support enabling parents to develop their own support networks.  

‘I’m so glad my Health Visitor introduced me to this group and it came just at the right time. I think if it had come much later I might have needed to accept medical help and even though I’m still not feeling myself I’m certainly on the right road.’  - Peep parent, Low Mood Group                                                                                                               

Examples of past initiatives include working with fathers in prison. This programme was developed in partnership with Craiginches Prison and supported positive transitions back into family life for children whose fathers were due for release following a custodial sentence. This programme was piloted but ended with the closure of the prison.

volunteer development

‘Thank you for giving me this opportunity with Peep. I truly enjoyed delivering my group and I don't think that would've been possible without your amazing training and everyone's vote of confidence. As a family we have been with Peep for two years and we really enjoy it.’ -  Parent volunteer

We have developed a support package for recruiting, training and supporting volunteers. This provides a potential progression route into education or employment. We currently have 11 volunteers, 6 of whom are former Peep parents. All have completed Peep Learning Together Programme training and some have achieved City & Guilds accreditation and are now delivering Peep groups.

the resource library

Initial funding allowed us to develop resources for Peep delivery and we have continued to maintain and build on this. Our resources include books, play packs and an assortment of facilitation materials. These are available to all practitioners for Peep work and also other work with families. Books and play packs are also lent to families to extend learning in the home.

the peep aberdeen team

Our team consists of:

Peep Project Co-ordinator, full-time – manages the team and development of the service. Delivery Centre Internal Quality Assurance officer for the Peep Progression Pathway.

Family Resource Workers, 2.5 full-time equivalent – remit for Peep group work delivery, including delivering and assessing the Peep Progression Pathway. They lead on supporting practitioners and volunteers across Aberdeen City, and on the development of focused groups.

Family Learning Worker, full-time - remit for children in care aged between 1-3 years to support play and learning. This support is offered to parents and carers or to professionals working with the families. This can be on an individual basis or in group work. The post holder also provides training input on attachment and play for prospective adopters, foster carers and kinship carers.

Support Worker, part-time – provides administrative support to the team.

Print version of case study

Reflections on ‘Singers as modern-day minstrels – leading and weaving storytelling in an ageing society’ - from Baby Peep to care homes for older people - by musician and Peeple Learning Together Study Project Manager Susannah Chambers, at the University of Portsmouth’s Organisational Storytelling Seminar (June 2017):

My presentation was about sharing storytelling through singing. I discussed the opportunities and risks for practitioners using singing as an approach, from singing with babies in a Peep group through to singing with older people in a care or nursing home.

I drew on my experience of singing with bands, including solo work performing in care homes for people with dementia, to explore how music can be used to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for people, especially older people. I have seen first-hand, both in Peep groups and these other settings, how sharing singing visibly brings members of a group closer together, looking more alert, happy and engaged. This clip of parents and children singing the Hello Song at the start of a Peep Learning Together group shows how powerful and reassuring it can be for members of a group to have this kind of familiar routine, which strengthens their group bond. In a care home setting it is noticeable how the songs that appear to bring the greatest engagement with residents are those very well known songs (e.g. by Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday) that people are likely to have heard repeated many times. There has been some interesting research in this area with people with dementia (see links below, for example), but more would be useful.

The ORIM learning framework (Hannon & Nutbrown, 1995) is used within the Learning Together Programme and would also work well in this wider context. ORIM stands for Opportunities, Recognition, Interaction and Modelling. So, for example, during a song – whether in a Peep group or a care home setting – there are opportunities to sing or enjoy hearing others sing; recognition of the songs and of people’s contributions; interaction through singing, listening and dancing; and modelling of sharing the story of the lyrics, and of singing and encouraging others to join in.

I concluded that the Peep Learning Together Programme has huge potential to fit into inter-generational work. Not just between parents or grand-parents and their children attending a Peep group, but also between families participating in a Peep group and older people who  are not related, as in this inter-generation Peep group in Edinburgh. The singing is a shared experience that can enhance wellbeing for all involved.

The atmosphere at the seminar was fantastic, as everybody was so passionate about exploring the role of storytelling in everyday life - reflected on further by many of us that evening. And what better way to end, than with an impromptu sing-along with a student pianist I met that day, as tweeted by the university!

A few links you might be interested in:

• Why music boosts brain activity in dementia patients (from Alzheimers.net)
• A short youtube film Story of Henry – music and memory ipod project – alive inside highlighting the powerful impact that music can have on someone with dementia (espec from 02:15 ono). Lovely quote of music as ‘the quickening art – bringing people to life,’ and music as ‘restoring the person to themselves’.
• A Telegraph article on a great example of a project which uses this approach: ‘My mother was lost to dementia until she heard her favourite songs’  

Senior Phase Peep is a project where parents, children and high school pupils learn together. Parents, children and pupils all take part in the Peep group, delivered by professionals from health and from home - school link work. Both parents and pupils can complete a Peep Progression Pathway unit in development of babies or development of toddlers. Pupils can have a hands-on experience of working with families which allows them to dip their toe into Early Learning and Childcare, testing out whether this may be a future career path.

The first phase of the project was with S5 pupils (15-16 year olds). Due to its success, Moray aims to roll out this project across other high schools and with pupils in S4 (14-15 year olds), with the S5 pupils returning to the programme as pupil mentors. S4 students can then use their Peep experience as a stepping stone to further relevant studies.

See below for more details and do contact us at support@peeple.org.uk if you would like to learn more.

Print version of case study