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The school and its major feeder pre-school, Bushytails, invites all parents whose children are due to start at the school in September, to attend a Transition Peep group of six weekly sessions during June-July. The school’s reception class Learning and Support Assistant (LSA) Lyn Hayes plans and delivers these sessions, while the pre-school use their existing relationships with families to help the school staff and families get to know each other more quickly. So many families wanted to attend that three groups were held.

Weekly Peep sessions continue in the autumn term, with new parents also being invited to join. The practitioner primarily uses the Peep topics, but also weaves in the Characteristics of Effective Learning, what will be happening during the school day, and how parents can support this. The Peep Learning Together Programme (LTP) complements the Early Years Foundation Stage, with the LTP’s five developmental strands focusing on Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Communication and Language, Early Literacy, Early Maths, and Health and Physical Development.

Depending on the needs and interests of the families, groups sometimes have a specific focus, such as Communication and Language, and other times follow all the Peep strands. Regular stay and play sessions, underpinned by the week’s Peep session focus, is also offered to all reception class parents. The initial Peep group was over‑subscribed so there are now two larger Peep groups each week. 

By the end of the school year about 70% of families have attended Peep sessions, with almost half participating regularly throughout the school year. 

The Peep sessions improve families’ transition into the school: Peep children settle in particularly quickly, and both parents and children develop friendships and are comfortable with the adults in the school.

‘M is now very excited to learn and is more confident.’ (Parent)

‘It’s building T’s friendships and confidence – especially in the first Peep sessions before starting school. I believe this positively impacted him when starting school’ (Parent)

‘I was able to ask questions without feeling silly.’ (Parent)

‘It’s great to be able to learn different techniques and get advice from other parents on how to help the children learn.’ (Parent)

‘Helping parents to build relationships with each other to provide a network of support and friendship has been very rewarding.’ (Learning Support Assistant / Peep practitioner)

‘A discussion with the LSA identified that parents who have engaged with Peep have settled into school particularly well and made at least good progress.’ (Local Authority Early Years Advisor)

Parents learn more about how to support their children’s learning, by building on all the valuable things they already do.

‘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!’ (Parent)

‘We have both very much looked forward to the sessions. It’s made us have a commitment to learning together that we have continued at home.’ (Parent)

’Peep helps the children gain confidence and helps us to help our children with their school work. It’s really nice to share their learning with them and see them interact with their peers.’ (Parent)

‘It is great to see parents blossom and become more confident as they realise everything they do in normal life contributes to their child’s learning. Listening to parents about what they need help with meant that I broke down barriers and ensured that they were able to understand how to support their child’s learning in a specific way.’ (Learning Support Assistant/ Peep practitioner)

‘The Peep programme provides a good opportunity for parents/carers and children to work alongside trained staff to enhance learning opportunities.  The parents involved feel more confident in how to support their children, and the children benefit from activities designed to build upon their skills.’ (Head teacher) 

Parents who have attended Peep make four times as many contributions to children’s learning journals in the form of ‘proud clouds’ than parents who have not. These contributions are thoughtful and knowledgeable. They demonstrate that parents are recognising and valuing both the developmental steps that their children are making, and that the learning opportunities which they provide at home are worth capturing. Parents notice not only the more ‘academic’ learning by their children, but the development of their equally important physical, personal and social skills, such as empathy and having a go at new things, which are also covered within the Peep Learning Together Programme.

Comments made by parents on their ‘proud clouds’ include:

‘I am proud of F’s attempt of cutting a star out all by himself.’

‘C tried raspberries, blueberries and beetroot for the first time. He liked raspberries and blueberries and now has them at home.’

‘During Peep, P counted backwards from 10.’

‘J helped collect some dropped bottles for an elderly lady.’

Activities which the children are doing in the classroom at that time are woven in to Peep sessions, so the parents gain the confidence, background knowledge and relevant information to help them effectively support their child’s learning at home.

The Peep practitioner shares the content of school learning for upcoming weeks in the Peep group. This provides a great opportunity for the less confident children to be the expert when this content is delivered back in the classroom. 

As Peep parents gain confidence, they support the delivery of the group by reading the story to the group. This in turn promotes the English language learning of parents who have English as a second language.

The parents wish to continue as a group as their children move into Year 1 (the year they turn six). The school and the group are looking at how best to do this. Options include the parents becoming ‘Expert Peepers’ and supporting other parents whose children are moving from pre-school to reception year. When parents were asked if they would like the group to continue into Year 1, comments included:

‘Yes, please. I really think it will help the transition into Year 1. It also helps me understand what E is learning and the tools I can use to help her succeed in her learning.’

‘Yes, curriculum changes and new methods are unfamiliar. M is more confident through doing the Peep sessions and I want it to continue that way.’

‘We would love Peep to continue so we don’t lose the interaction with the school environment.’

[June 2019: The school now offer Peep groups to families in Year 1 and Year 2, linking with what the children are currently doing with their teacher in the classroom. Update to follow.]

Outcomes at the end of the year have identified that 73% of children who regularly attended Peep sessions attained their Good Level of Development (GLD - the government’s measure of five year old’s attainment at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage). This compares with the school’s GLD of 52% the previous year, and progress has been faster. Whilst some children in the group were already on track to attain this, all children have made good progress from their starting points.

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

‘Some of these children are performing among the most able in the year group and this demonstrates an excellent use of Early Years Pupil Premium funding. An example of the impact of the programme is that a child who did not speak in school is now communicating more confidently as a result of the school and family working so closely together, and the child is gaining confidence through observing and feeling secure within this relationship. Observations made during the Peep group are captured in the learning journals and contribute to the full picture of children’s learning.’ (Local Authority Early Years Advisor)

'This is a true community project' – Mrs Linda Brown, Lossiemouth High School, Headteacher

Senior Phase Peep is a Peep group delivered by the Community Nursery Nurse who is assisted by a home-school link worker and senior phase pupils. It is a collaboration between:

• NHS Grampian: Health Visiting team based at Moray Coast Health Centre, Lossiemouth
• Lossiemouth High School
• Moray Council: Home-school link worker covering Lossiemouth & Forres ASGs[1]
• Moray Council: Youth Worker based with the Lossiemouth ASG.

The health visiting team promote the group to families. Peep is well-established across Moray so parents are often aware of Peep.

The school identify students who they feel would benefit from participating. The cost of refreshments and materials was subsidised by the universal Peep group in Lossiemouth. The qualification registration for parents and students is met by Lossiemouth High School. 

Both the high school students/recent school leavers and the parents complete a Peep Progression Pathway unit. These can be offered at SCQF levels 3, 4 or 5. The parents complete this based on their own child’s development. The pupils are part of the group along with the parents; activities are used each week to enable the pupils to interact with the children and have the opportunity to answer the portfolio questions.

The students also complete a Youth Achievement award, which recognises reflective thinking around their learning, and a Saltire award which reflects their volunteering experience.  

'At home I have changed how I communicate with my daughter. I am seeing things as she does’.  Peep Parent

Parents who attend Senior Phase Peep say that they appreciate:

• meeting other parents - this in turn enables them to access other community provision, as there are now other familiar faces;
• ideas for things to make at home with everyday items;
• encouragement that the everyday things they do with their children support key areas of learning such as early literacy. Peep gives them the time to stop and reflect on these things, and the child development knowledge to appreciate the value of their interactions with their child;
• reinforcing this learning by completing the Peep Progression Pathway certificate.  Comments from parents include: ‘The Progression Pathway really makes me think about what learning opportunities there are in activities’;
• the structure of the group, which provides focus and purpose;
• face-to-face contact with the community nursery nurse, making it easier for parents to discuss issues of concern around their child’s health and development;
• the participation of the school students in the Peep group -  they felt that this positively contributed to the dynamic of the group.

The home-school link worker commented that she normally works in primary schools, and that it is now common to meet children who struggle to listen, maintain eye contact and hold a conversation. She said that it has been eye-opening to see - through the Peep training and the Peep group - that these issues can be addressed through a playful approach in the early years. 

The Peep coordinator, Elizabeth Duncan, adds that Peep groups are preventative rather than reactive. They allow for informal contact between parents and their children and health services, which allow any parental concerns to be raised at an early point and addressed before they escalate.

Peep is flexible and can be adapted to meet the needs of a particular group. This means that specific health concerns raised by parents such as weaning can be addressed in a structured yet fun and relaxed way. The specialist knowledge of the health visiting team can be shared as requested.

Lossiemouth has a high number of service families due to the local RAF base.  Many of these families are socially isolated with no local family support.  Peep groups give parents the opportunity to meet other parents in a relaxed, non-threatening environment. Many friendships between parents have endured.

Students are given an opportunity to:

• gain a Peep Progression Pathway unit at SCQF levels 3, 4 or 5 in the development of babies or development of toddlers;
• gain the Bronze Youth Achievement Award, showing their ability to reflect on their learning;
• gain a Saltire award, reflecting their volunteering experience;
• gain work experience in Family Learning;
• gain practical experience of working with children and their parents;
• work as part of a team.

Some students are currently studying Childcare and Peep provides practical experience in this field. 

“The programme is a great benefit to us as it brings the community into the school and creates a wonderful atmosphere when the parents come in with their children to work with the pupils”, Donnie Carthew, Deputy Headteacher, Lossiemouth High School

Mr Carthew commented that Senior Phase Peep is a true reflection of Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) in action. One of the Peep students has been awarded the DYW shield. Mr Carthew described how Senior Phase Peep has been ‘life changing’ for this pupil; it has developed her communication skills and given her career prospects in Early Learning and Childcare. She is moving on to a Childcare and Play course at college, and the College commented that it was the student's work and qualifications gained through Peep which secured her the place on this course.

The report by Together (Scottish Alliance for Children's Rights) seeks to inspire and enable everyone in Scotland to put children’s human rights at the heart of everything they do. 

> Read more and download the report 

‘Research shows that when parents and carers support their children’s learning, and when children live in a stimulating home learning environment, it improves children’s attainment and achievement. Family learning encourages family members to learn together, fostering positive attitudes to lifelong learning’.

The Action Plan provides delivery partners in local authorities, and the private and third sector, with a clear policy and delivery framework in which to build capacity for the expansion of ELC. This vision is underpinned by the principles of Quality, Flexibility, Accessibility and Affordability.

The Peep Learning Together Programme supports the following aims of the Action Plan:

• ensure a high-quality experience for the child; improving outcomes for all children, especially those who benefit most;
• deliver excellence and equity for all children in Scotland;
• close the attainment gap;
• support transitions through ELC settings and into school and enable partnership working. ‘There is a need for clear transition plans to support children through their early-learner journey’;
• increase the flexibility on how the fund is delivered in order to support more parents into work, training or study;
• help support parents to enrich the home learning environment by integrating ELC with the range of family support;
• maximise the contribution of childminders. Childminders who become Peep practitioners gain skills, knowledge and resources to enrich their home learning environment;
• build capacity within the Early Years workforce, developing ‘recruitment and career pathways’ into ELC;
• ensure provision is accessible. Peep practitioners gain skills and resources to build relationships with parents which enable those parents who are reluctant to engage with an educational setting to gain confidence to do so. This film about Peep in Fife shows practitioners sharing some of the skills they have learnt through Peep Learning Together Programme training and delivery and parents speaking about some of the benefits.

Realising the Ambition - Being me - followed up and replaced Building the Ambition.

‘Children make the most intellectual gains where there is high levels of parental involvement in children’s learning’.

‘Early Childhood Education and Care has a profound and long-lasting impact which measures taken at a later stage cannot achieve’.

Building the Ambition is the national practice guidance to support Early Learning and Childcare practitioners. It recognises home as the ‘first and most important place for a child to grow and develop’. The Peep Learning Together Programme implements the practice guidelines to:

• Increase parenting/family capacity and skills in a non-stigmatising environment by giving practitioners a knowledge and practice framework to recognise parents existing strengths and build on these.
• Build the confidence and capability of the early year’s workforce and their reflective practice. Peep practitioners gain skills and resources to work with parents as the child’s educator. The course includes an accreditation unit in Working With Parents which teaches a high degree of reflective practice.
• Make links between practice, theory and policy guidance to reinforce aspects of high quality provision and the critical role played by early year’s practitioners: The Peep Learning Together Programme offers an ongoing way of doing this through practice. The Programme integrates practice and theory and the training links the Programme to policy. All three elements are regularly reviewed and updated.
• Supporting parents into work: The Peep Learning Together Programme and Peep Progression Pathway build parents'/carers' confidence in existing skills, capabilities and potential. This develops the motivation to learn more and to feel able to progress into further learning or work. The Peep Progression Pathway then provides a structured route from this informal provision to vocational FE courses.

> Download > UK STEM Policy and the Peep Learning Together Programme (Jan 2019) or UK STEM Policy and Peep LTP - Summary 

"This strategy sets out our vision of a Scotland where everyone is encouraged and supported to develop their STEM capability throughout their lives, enabling them to be inquiring, productive and innovative, both in order to grow STEM literacy in society and to drive inclusive economic growth." – Ministerial Foreword, STEM Strategy 2017

The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Strategy emphasises the ‘crucial early years’ where STEM skills can be promoted and enthusiasm for STEM can be fostered. The Scottish Government recognises the need to close the equity gap in participation and attainment in STEM.

In order to allow children to develop STEM skills and interest, Scottish Government will work to ensure that early learning and childcare professionals have the ‘skills, knowledge and confidence to support children in relation to STEM’. Practitioners will give children and families a grounding in STEM, providing an ‘inspiring offer of STEM activity’.  They acknowledge the need to improve ‘confidence and fluency’ in Maths for children and their families. Scottish Government recognise the need to support and resource practitioners in early years and school for this task.

The Scottish Government highlight the importance of building the skills, knowledge and confidence of families to promote and encourage STEM learning at home.  This is part of what they describe as ‘STEM Capital’. The STEM Strategy supports the suggested focus of Regional Improvement Collaboratives to promote effective strategies and approaches for parental engagement and family learning in STEM in early learning and childcare settings and schools. The Peep Learning Together Programme supports practitioners to gain the skills, knowledge and confidence to support families to improve STEM learning at home. The Programme is used in a variety of settings including ELC settings, schools for transition into primary school, community centres, health centres and others. It is often delivered in partnership between these disciplines.

The STEM Strategy promotes partnership working to promote these aims to children and their families. Community Learning and Development (CLD) is recognised as having a key role in supporting equity by engaging with disadvantaged families.  Since 2018, there has been a requirement for public STEM sector to work with CLD to engage disadvantaged people where they are funded by Scottish Government. The Peep Learning Together Programme can be used to build on the skills and resources of CLD and the STEM ‘public engagement sector’ (museums etc.) to promote STEM in partnership.

Educational Governance makes a strong and informed case for working with parents and the focus of that work being improving the home learning environment.

'Parents have a right to expect their local school to engage fully with them throughout their children’s education’ -John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills p.2

‘Improving the education and life chances of our children and young people is the defining mission of this government’ - John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, p.1

‘Student Learning is most effective when it is the result of a partnership between the school, teachers, parents and communities’ p. 18

Educational Governance: Next steps:

• recognises that we need ‘more engaged parents and communities’ (p.1);
• acknowledges evidence from key academics such as Dr Janet Goodall that that parental engagement in children’s learning has the greatest impact on outcomes for children. It also recognizes that the purpose of parents engagement with school is for the good of the child’s education and to improve learning at home. There is a commitment to increase availability of home-school link workers and of family learning, (p.4);
• recognises that interventions will need to extend wider than school and will need to ‘impact more directly on children’s environments and life chances, if we are to close the attainment gap.(p.10);
• states that ‘our education system must support and empower children and young people, parents, teachers, practitioners and communities’;
• states that routes to engagement with parents, whilst present, are often ‘challenging and confusing’ (p.19);
• values the significant contribution CLD make to children’s lives and wants to see this expand (p.19);
• recognises the need to provide effective teacher training so that teachers are best able to work with children to help them overcome any barriers to learning (p.23). 

‘Supporting, equipping and building capacity amongst Scotland’s parents to capitalise on children’s opportunities for learning is key in raising attainment and closing the poverty-related attainment gap’.

The Review  assessed research and practice to identify what works well in Family Learning.

The Peep Learning Together Programme and the Peep Progression Pathway are highlighted under ‘What Excellent Family Learning Looks Like’. 

‘Parental and family engagement is a key factor in helping all children achieve the highest standards whilst reducing inequity and closing the attainment gap.’

The Peep Learning Together programme promotes the vision of the Framework to:

• Promote excellence through raising attainment by working with parents and children to improve the home learning environment. Five independent studies by Oxford and Warwick University show that Peep helps children develop strong foundation for literacy and self-esteem.
• Achieve equity by increasing the confidence, knowledge and ability of parents to support their child’s early learning and development and engage with nursery and school.

Parental Engagement is one of the key drivers in promoting educational excellence and equity. In relation to the Peep Learning Together Programme supports the:

• Development of Family Learning Programmes in all Challenge areas by end 2017 and all areas by 2018. The Learning Together Programme is an evidenced and established early intervention/prevention family learning programmes which can be used with children aged five and under and their parents/carers.
• Delivery of family support and parent employability at or via the Early Learning and Child Care setting by working with local partners to deliver the Peep Learning Together Programme with integrated SCQF credit-rated units, the Peep Progression Pathway. There are established further education pathways with a number of FE Colleges across Scotland.
• Equity of access to national campaigns and gifting programmes by working with parents to increase their confidence and ability to share these resources with their children.

The Scottish Attainment Challenge aims to achieve equity in educational outcomes and raise the attainment of children and young people living in deprived areas in order to close the poverty-related attainment gap. The challenge focuses on and accelerates targeted improvement activity in literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing in specific areas of Scotland.

It recognises three primary levers for change. These are:

• Leadership;
• Learning and Teaching;
• Families and Communnities.

The Peep Learning Together Programme supports these aims and levers for change by:

• narrowing the attainment gap by improving the home learning environment and working with parents as adult learners; providing a positive attitude towards learning in the home;
• specific Early Literacy, Early Maths and Health and Physical Development programmes within the Learning Together Programme;
• promoting key home learning activities which improve attainment throughout the programme. These include sharing books, singing and play.

A robust longitudinal evaluation by the University of Oxford shows that children who participate in Peep develop strong foundations for literacy and self-esteem

NHS Scotland have produced Setting the Table which provides nutritional guidance and food standards for early years childcare providers in Scotland.

“We know that eating habits developed in the early years frequently last into adulthood, so childcare providers have an ideal opportunity to support the development of positive food habits from a very early age”.   Aileen Campbell MSP Minister for Children and Young People

As well as providing essential information for settings, and other providers, it acknowledges the importance of working alongside parents when implementing the guidance in order to:

• champion the importance of a well-balanced diet and positive choices both with children and their parents

• assist providers to work with families who face the biggest challenges in providing a healthy diet for their children

• highlight the importance of food as a tool for social development and learning.

 The guidance devotes a whole section to “Playing and learning with food”.

The Peep Learning Together Programme is full of topics which really support the guidance in this important document. For example, from the Health and Physical Development Strand, the topic “Making the most of food and mealtimes” aims to help parents/carers and practitioners to explore the role of food and mealtimes in family or setting life, to recognise their value in promoting communication and social skills and to understand how involving children in buying, preparing, cooking and sharing food can support their early learning and development.

Developing the Young Workforce is a seven year (2014-2021) programme which aims to better prepare children (aged 3-18) for the world of work. The headline aim of the programme is to reduce youth unemployment by 40% by 2021.

Please see this case study from Moray about how the Peep Learning Together Programme is used to prepare high school pupils for the world of work. Progression routes from the Peep Progression Pathway to further education providers also supports this aim.

 This Statement of Ambition recognises a number of features which align with the Peep Progression Pathway. The key tenets are that learning is:

Lifelong The Peep Progression Pathway provides learning for all generations, also offering the accessible starting points for under-confident learners to develop ‘learner identity’ and confidence in order to progress

Lifewide ‘covering personal, work, family and community aspects of living’. The Peep Progression Pathway is rooted in these elements.

Learner-centred ‘based around the interests of the learner and working towards their own goals’ ‘The basis of the Peep Progression Pathway is the parent's interest in their own child and the developmental aims are to improve the home learning environment and to pursue learning and employment goals.'

Other areas highlighted by the Statement of Ambition which are addressed by the Peep Learning Together Programme and the Peep Progression Pathway include recognising:

• The need for accessible learning (1.2)
• Potential previous negative experience of learning and working to counteract this (1.6 & p.6)
• Life changes, such as becoming a parent/carer, can be a stimulus for new learning (1.7)
• Adult Learning is the key to employability. We provide an accessible entry point and progression routes into vocational courses. (1.10)
• Adult Learning within the family provides modelling for children and young people (1.12)
• Adult Learning builds on the strengths and potential of individuals, families and communities, developing their capacity to enhance their own social and economic development (1.13)
• The Scottish social practice model; recognising and building on a learner’s life experiences (1.17)

Through delivery of the Peep Progression Pathway learners improve their skills, knowledge, confidence, social networks, communication skills and critical thinking in a flexible, community-based provision offering Further Education progression routes (p.7).

This short film highlights some of the adult learning benefits of the Peep Progression Pathway. This is part of an evaluation by Learning and Work, as part of a 'Parents and Employability' project.

The overarching aim of the Children and Young People’s Act 2014 (known as ‘The Act’) is to ‘Make Scotland the best place in the world to grow up in by improving outcomes and reducing inequalities for all babies, children, mothers, fathers and families across Scotland to ensure that all children have the best start in life and are ready to succeed’.

The Act sets the strategic direction for the way in which Scottish public services should be delivered and assists public bodies in their endeavours to improve the life chances of children and young people.

Peep Learning Together Programme supports the aims of the Bill to:

• Improve the way services work to support children, young people and families by providing a framework for  practitioners to work relationally with families, building an understanding of both the home learning environment and the educational setting. By building on parent’s strengths and with an informal approach, a wide range of families can be reached. Peep is often delivered in collaboration between two or more agencies, allowing families access to a wider range of expertise.
• Strengthen the role of early years support in children’s and families’ lives by upskilling Early Years Practitioners to work with parents together with their children to provide early learning and development support in an informal, fun and accessible way.
• Promote the Rights of the Child as set out in the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child by directly promoting many of the articles such as the right to play (article 31) and the right to learn (article 13). By working with parents to develop the child’s communication and language, the child is further enabled to enact their rights and to speak out in their own voice about issues which matter to them.

Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) is a Scottish Government approach that encourages services working with families to work together to spot and deal with issues early and before these escalate into a crisis in order that children can reach their full potential. The GIRFEC approach has the child at the centre and works will children and their families on ways to improve wellbeing.

The Peep Learning Together Programme supports this by:

• providing an informal learning tool to enable accessible, non-threatening early intervention and prevention with families. There are practice examples in this Peep in Children's Social work, Aberdeen, case study;
• placing the child at the centre of an approach which enables professionals to work with children and their families to improve wellbeing;
• being deliverable by and amongst a range of services. This Peep Dundee case study provides an example of multi-agency working to deliver Peep.

The approach uses the SHANARRI wellbeing indicators of Safe, Healthy, Achieving, Nurtured, Active, Respected, Responsible, Included. These are promoted in the Peep Learning Together Programme under the strand headings of:

• Health and Physical Development
• Personal, Social and Emotional Development
• Communication and Language

and are embedded in the Peep approach.

‘Play creates a brain that has increased flexibility and improved potential for learning later in life’ (Lester and Russell, 2008).

The Play Strategy recognises that play is crucial to Scotland’s wellbeing: emotionally, socially and environmentally. It reinforces the message of Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child that ‘play is a right’.

The Strategy also states that ‘parents and carers are a child’s first educators and have a crucial role to play in encouraging their development.’ and recognises the need for ‘a rich home learning environment’.

It states that essential to achieving this is a professional, qualified and well-led workforce with the skills and confidence to provide support and advice to parents and carers about play.

The Peep Learning Together Programme supports parents/carers and children to learn together through play to enrich the home learning environment.  Peep practitioner training, resources and support increase the skills and toolkit of Early Learning and Childcare professionals to support and advise parents and carers about the importance of play for children's learning and development.This film about Peep in Fife shows practitioners and parents highlighting some of these benefits.

The Regulations stress that organisations funded specifically for Community Learning and Development (CLD) work should be closely aligned with ‘education (including schools and nurseries), culture, sport, leisure and library services’ (p.7) in order to deliver CLD outcomes. It commends collaborative working across a range of partners for effective CLD practice.

The Peep Learning Together Programme is deliverable through multi-agency working to provide these CLD outcomes. This Peep Dundee case study provides an example of this. The development of the Peep Progression Pathway was funded by Education Scotland’s Innovation Fund, demonstrating an innovative and coherent application of CLD policy.  

‘The nurturant qualities of the environments where children grow up, live and learn parents, caregivers, family and community – will have the most significant impact on their development’.

The Scottish Government launched the National Parenting Strategy with the purpose of acting ‘as a vehicle for valuing, equipping and supporting parents to be the best that they can be so that they in turn can give the children and young people of Scotland the best start in life’.

The Peep Learning Together Programme promotes the aims of the Strategy to:

• build parenting and family capacity and skills by improving the life chances of young children by working with parents in a non-stigmatising environment to promote secure attachment and enhance the child’s learning and development;
• value, equip and support parents to be the best they can be by supporting parents as adult learners in their own right in a strengths-based approach. This recognises they are their child’s ‘first educators’ and the most important influence on their children’s attainment;
• improve the health and wellbeing of the family by giving them support, confidence and knowledge to support their child’s learning and development and further that of the parent.

‘Working with the family together rather than with the child or the adult separately makes a greater impact on the literacies development of both child and parent or carer. This can be achieved by combining early childhood interventions and early parenting strategies with adult literacies work. Parents and carers who develop their own literacies often gain the confidence and skills to help their children with reading, writing and numbers.'

The Peep Learning Together Programme and integrated Peep Progression Pathway offer such an early childhood intervention, early parenting strategies and integrated adult literacies. Parents report that their own literacy and other employability skills increase as a result of completion of Peep Progression Pathway units. 

 This guidance clarifies the expectations of Community Planning Partnerships. It highlights ‘family learning and other early intervention work with children young people and families’ and prioritises preventative work (p.5). It recognises that CLD practice is strengthened by working with a range of partners (p.3).

It defines the focus of CLD as:

• Improved life chances for people of all ages, through learning, personal development and active citizenship; and
• Stronger, more resilient, supportive, influential and inclusive communities

The Peep Learning Together programme provides an early intervention/prevention approach, deliverable with a range of partners which improves life chances for children and their parents. 

The Child Poverty Act (2010) sets out the UK-wide targets to eradicate child poverty by April 2020. Investment in eradicating child poverty and reducing inequality remains vitally important to the Scottish Government. Shifting resources into early intervention and prevention in the early years of a child’s life is a key starting point.

The Peep Learning Together Programme provides a cost-effective, strength-based and accessible early intervention/prevention approach and resources which builds on practitioners existing skills to address and tackle the poverty-related attainment gap. 

At the heart of the Framework is an approach ‘which recognises the right of all young children to high quality relationships, environments and services which offer a holistic approach to meeting their needs’. The Framework contains an action plan which seeks to provide a greater focus within existing services on ‘the development of parenting skills, developing broader roles in the workforce and enhancing the role of childcare, pre-school and school in family learning’.

Peep Learning Together Programme supports the aims of the Early Years Framework to:

• Address the needs of the children whose lives, opportunities and ambitions are hindered because of poor health, poverty, attainment and unemployment by tackling educational outcomes, family relationships, quality of ELC provision and unemployment as interrelated drivers of poverty.
• Reduce the number of families requiring long-term support by supporting the capacity of children and parents to secure positive outcomes themselves within universal services and by building community capacity to support families. It does this by increasing parental capacity to improve the home learning environment which improves children’s attainment. The Peep Progression Pathway parent qualifications and Further Education progression routes increase the confidence, employability and aspirations of parents. There are many examples of parents progressing to delivering Peep groups, such as those in the 'volunteer development' section of this Peep in Children's Social Work case study.

Peeple is an early intervention/prevention charity. We aim to improve life chances and close the attainment gap by working with parents and carers to enhance their children’s learning and development from birth. We train approximately 350 practitioners annually to deliver our family learning Peep Learning Together Programme with parents and children aged 0-5. The Programme is based on research, including the Growing Up in Scotland (GUS) study, which tells us that the quality of the home learning environment, family relationships and pre-school provision are key to improving life chances and promoting educational equity.
Robust evaluations have found that the Programme increases parental engagement with their children’s learning and development. The National Improvement Framework (2016) states that ‘Parental and family engagement is a key factor in helping all children achieve the highest standards whilst reducing inequity and closing the attainment gap.’ Along with The National Parenting Strategy (2012) and Realising the Ambition, the Framework recognises the role of parents as first educators and that ‘The nurturant qualities of the environments where children grow up, live and learn, parents, caregivers, family and community – will have the most significant impact on their development.’ – National Parenting Strategy

The Learning Together Programme provides a clear focus on delivering equity by addressing the confidence and knowledge gap in parental capacity to improve the home learning environment and to engage with nursery and school. Peep also promotes equity of access to national campaigns and gifting programmes by working with parents to increase their confidence, understanding and ability to share these resources with their children.

'The Peep course has helped me see learning opportunities in everyday life' - Peep parent, Aberdeen City. 

The Learning Together Programme is based on evidence of what is known to be effective at raising attainment for children affected by poverty. Five independent studies by the Universities of Oxford and Warwick show that Peep:

• helps children develop strong foundations for language, literacy, and self-esteem - improving outcomes for all, but with the greatest impact on the most disadvantaged,
• successfully reaches families and engages them in their children’s learning,
• helps parents become more aware of their children’s development and how to foster it,
• contributes to parents’ and children’s confidence in themselves as learners, and to parents’ employability,
• enables practitioners from a wide range of professions to develop new skills and fresh approaches to share ideas and unlock parents’ potential.

The Learning Together Programme begins with and builds on what parents already do, so parents do not feel judged, they feel valued. A local authority Peep Coordinator commented:

‘The programme has the child and family at the centre. We work with the parent to give them the best possible experience and interactions with their child. We are encouraging, motivating and supporting families through an informal education approach. Parents model success with their children!’ Alison Wales, South Ayrshire.

The Programme encourages sensitive learning interactions between the parent-child, practitioner-parent and practitioner-child, applying and sharing current early learning research in a dynamic, practical, and effective way.

This short film case study from Fife, shows how the Peep Learning Together programme provides this high-quality experience for children and parents and a high-quality programme for practitioners. 

The Programme can be delivered by a single organisation. However, it lends itself well to partnership working. Practice examples include joint working between schools and Children & Families services; voluntary sector organisations; Leisure & Culture and Lifelong Learning.

This case study from Dundee City Council provides a strong working example of Peep delivered in partnership. 

The Learning Together Programme is used to support transitions. Some of the benefits of Peep for transitions are highlighted by this practitioner:
‘Parents say that Peep strengthens the relationship with their children and increases their knowledge of the impact they have on their children’s education and development. We link to the literacy and numeracy programme of the school so parents can reinforce learning at home. Parents feel more confident to engage with the school and wider community. We have a parent council for the first time in 20 years’. Soozin Rogers, Clovenstone Primary, Edinburgh.

The full case study can be accessed on our website. 

The Learning Together Programme is included in the recently launched Family Learning Review: Supporting Excellence and Equity as an example of ‘What Excellent Family Learning Looks Like.’
Parents are able to complete integrated SCQF credit-rated Peep Child Development units called the 'Peep Progression Pathway' and take advantage of a number of Further Education agreements to access places and/or interviews to a number of vocational courses. This increases intergenerational transfer of positive attitude to learning and work.

This short film case study includes a local coordinator and parents speaking about the benefits of the Peep Progression Pathway and this local delivery was evaluated by the Learning and Work Institute. More information about the Peep Progression Pathway is available on this website

A longitudinal evaluation of the Learning Together Programme by the University of Oxford found that children who participated in the Peep Learning Together Programme developed strong foundations for literacy. The Programme promotes key home learning, including early literacy activities such as sharing books, singing and play. It also increases parents’ understanding of how literacy is taught at school, improving their ability to support and reinforce this. The Peep Learning Together Programme has a specific Early Literacy strand comprising 15 topics.

The Programme does this by engaging isolated families in a strengths-based programme which contains specific Health and Physical Development and Personal, Social & Emotional Development strands.

Please see here for a case study of the Peep Learning Together Programme being delivered by health professionals.

The Programme is evidence-based with rich child development content shared in an informal, non-threatening manner. It enhances the knowledge of practitioners and the learning of parents and children. It allows parents to gain an understanding of the school learning environment and for the school to gain a greater understanding of the home learning environment of their students.

The Programme provides the opportunity to develop specialist knowledge in working with parents, to liaise and collaborate with external organisations and to deliver adult learning (optional adult learning units). Peep Practitioners complete the two-day Peep Learning Together Programme which includes the City & Guilds unit Engaging Parents in their Children’s Early Learning (SCQF 6).

‘My confidence was very, very low at the start of the course. I began to learn so much - things I didn’t know about children. My life has changed so much. I now sing with my boys. I get down to their level on the floor and join in their play. We have so much fun. Although I know I was a good mum before, I am an even better mum now.’

‘My family wouldn’t be where they are now, without Peep’

‘Peep has helped me give my daughter the best start in life I could possibly offer. She has developed into such a confident, pleasant and inquisitive little girl and this is all because of Peep. Thank you!’

‘Peep is good for the parent providing opportunities and memories and great for your child’s confidence and experiences.’

The Peep Coordinator analyses the city’s Early Years Foundation Stage Profile data at the beginning of each academic year, in order to identify areas within the city which have low-scoring areas of learning or general development for under-fives. This then informs the strands and topics of the Peep programme which their practitioners deliver across the city. For example, if it is identified that a particular area of the city has low scores in communication and language, the Children’s Centre Service Manager will work with the Peep practitioners in that children’s centre to embed this strand into their programme for that year.

Once the overall strands have been decided for a programme, Peep practitioners can then access the session plans, topic cards and topic handouts on the Peeple website to plan the content for their programme. The variety of session plans and suggested activities mean that practitioners can choose the most appropriate content to meet the needs of their families. The sessions can be adapted according to different learning styles, the needs of individual parents, and the level which parents may be working at.

Generally, families in Derby attend Peep programme for either one or two terms, and attend on a weekly basis during term time. Each session lasts for an hour and a half and involves talk time around the topic for the day and then activities to think about how it can be embedded into everyday activities, including songs and rhymes or books and stories.

The content of the sessions maps onto the requirements for the NOCN Certificate in Supporting Early Learning at Home. Derby therefore offers all of the parents on their Peep programmes the opportunity to develop a portfolio which can be submitted for assessment and can enable them to gain an Entry Level 3, Level 1 or Level 2 qualification which provides formal recognition of the skills they gain through the Peep Progression Pathway.

In Derby, the Peep Learning Together Programme was very effective in enabling learners to identify the huge range of skills and competencies that they had developed as parents. The Peep approach of first helping parents to recognise the ways in which they already support their children, then helping them to build on and develop this through a tailored but structured programme, helped parents to improve their self-esteem and confidence in their own abilities.

'We support parents to recognise what they're already doing, then we offer ideas for them to do more through everyday routines and activities. Once they become more aware of their children's learning, they say to us they become more empowered.' (Peep Coordinator)

The majority of parents engaged with the programme in order to support their children’s learning, but soon recognised that they were learning as well. The opportunity to gain a qualification through the Peep programme was also valued by learners, as it formalised the skills they had gained as parents and they could put it on their CV.

The recognition of their skills as parents helped many learners to start planning their future careers and the steps they could take to achieve these, so that they were ready to enter employment when their children reach school age. The Peep Coordinator in Derby also found that the Learning Together programme helps parents to realise the wide range of job opportunities available to them, and this often leads them to progress onto further formal courses after completing the programme.

'For many, it opens their eyes to what other opportunities there are out there.  They might have been doing one job before they had their children and then they come along to a Peep session and they realise that there are other job opportunities...  We've got parents who've gone onto college and gone into employment working with young children.'  (Peep Coordinator)

Alongside their employability-related outcomes, learners also reported feeling more satisfied as parents, having stronger relationships with their children, feeling more confident to support and talk about their children’s learning, and improving their wider social relationships.

'Everyone has seen a massive change in [my son]. He loves, laughs, reads books and has lots of positive attitude... I have made loads of friends and am more confident and happy than ever. I wish there would be more certified groups like this!' (Learner/ Parent)

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