Early Years funding in England and Wales - how Peep fits

Government funding is available across the UK to provide focused support for 3 and 4 year olds eligible for free school meals (or equivalent), to help close the attainment gap.

In England, the funding is via the Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP). This is additional DfE funding for early years settings in England, to improve the education they provide for 3- and 4-year-olds who are eligible for free school meals (or equivalent). Early years providers are any organisation offering education for children aged under 5, including nurseries and childminders. Local guidance is provided on each county council's website. It is up to each EY provider how you spend the money - it can benefit all children in the setting but has to have a main focus on the needs of the EYPP children. 

DfE research indicates the main ways in which Early Years providers have been using the funding: to support communication and language, personal social and emotional development (PSED), literacy and numeracy, and/or physical development and outdoor play. They are doing this through additional staff time for EYPP children, buying resources, staff training, and engaging parents to support home learning. Download our leaflet: 'Using your Early Years Pupil Premium - how Peep Programmes support practitioners and the home learning environment'.

In Wales, the funding is via the Early Years Pupil Development Grant (EYPDG). The guidance explains that the main purpose of the funding is to improve the quality of settings/ classrooms and teaching, and that ways of doing this include: training and supporting staff on the importance and role of family engagement; making home links to encourage activities to support early language and numeracy skills, or developing children’s independence skills, self-regulation, healthy eating etc; and developing partnerships with parents/carers, families and communities.

peep training courses for practitioners that help narrow the gap and support EYPP and EYPDG children

All Peep Training will increase practitioners’ confidence, knowledge and skills in working with parents (as well as children) to support the home learning environment. Depending on your local focus, the following courses will help meet your local needs:

> Learning Together Programme Training - 2-day, with online access to the Programme, which focuses on 5 developmental strands: Communication and Language, PSED, Health & Physical Development, Early Maths and Early Literacy. Trained practitioners can focus on topics from any of these strands. 

> Early Communication Matters Training - 1-day - focusing on understanding and improving children’s language development, in the setting and at home.

peep resources

These can be used with or by families, and can be ordered from our website shop:

• Singing Together Songbooks/ MP3/ CDs 1 & 2, and  Singing Together in Urdu & Punjabi
• Peep the parrot storybooks and  Stories and songs in Punjabi and Urdu CD/MP3/ book
• Learning Together Programme folder (for trained practitioners to use in your work with families)