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Peeple are based in Oxford and Edinburgh. We train and support practitioners across the UK and beyond. We have a Peep delivery team and Nursery in Oxford.  

Peeple Centre

Postal address: The Peeple Centre, P.O. Box 1404, Oxford OX4 6XW
To find us yourself/ sat nav: The Peeple Centre, Northfield Close, Littlemore, Oxford OX4 4NH  (click for more detailed directions)
Office: 01865  395145    General enquiries: info@peeple.org.uk       Facebook, Twitter & Instagram: @PeepleCentre     LinkedIn: Peeple     Linktr.ee - Peeple

Training & Support Team 

Email: training@peeple.org.uk  or   support@peeple.org.uk
Tel: 01865  397970 
Parent qualifications - Peep Progression Pathway:  pathway@peeple.org.uk  
Practitioner Accreditation:  PA@peeple.org.uk 

Little Peeple Nursery, Oxford

sat nav: Little Peeple Nursery, in the grounds of The Oxford Academy, Northfield Close entrance, Littlemore, Oxford OX4 4NH
[Postal address: Little Peeple Nursery, P.O. Box 1404, Oxford OX4 6XW]
tel: 01865 397972   or m 07376 379680
email: littlepeeplenursery@peeple.org.uk    www.peeple.org.uk/littlepeeplenursery

Peep with families - Delivery Team in Oxfordshire 

If you’re pregnant or a parent/carer of a 0-5 year old in Greater Leys, Blackbird Leys, Littlemore or Berinsfield in Oxford/shire, or a professional working with families in these areas, please contact us to find out more about free Peep Learning Together sessions:
Tel 01865 395145  or  email families@peeple.org.uk   or find out more: www.peeple.org.uk/parents-area

If you’re a parent or professional in another part of the UK, Ireland or Australia looking for local Peep sessions for families, please contact your local children’s or family hub/ centre or service (or training@peeple.org.uk), as we train practitioners in many different areas.

To find out more about which staff members deal with what aspects of work, see our staff page.

Peeple is an independent charity which supports parents and children to learn together. Registered charity no. 1144975 in England & Wales and no. SCO44031 in Scotland, and company limited by guarantee in England & Wales no. 07514469.
Peep Learning Ltd is the trading subsidiary of Peeple, providing training and materials on behalf of Peeple. Registered company no. 4089209. VAT reg. no. 768 4173 94.
Registered address (both Peep Learning Ltd and Peeple): The Peeple Centre, Littlemore, Oxford OX4 4NH

Peeple has a board of proactive trustees with a strong background in education, family work and management at policy, academic and leadership levels.

David Bailey became our Chair of Trustees in April 2023, having been vice chair. He is a self-employed finance consultant, advising on Board development, financial management, competitive tenders and developing business cases, particularly in the health sector. He is a qualified chartered accountant with experience in marketing. David was Board Director of South West Environmental Parks Ltd, including Paignton Zoo, Newquay Zoo and Living Coasts and has been a trustee of Peeple since 2012.

Nancy Stimson joined the Board of Peeple in June 2019 and took up the position of Vice chair in 2023. She had previously been a volunteer consultant through the Cranfield Trust, reviewing and updating Peeple’s employment contracts and policies.  Having retired as Group HR Director for an IT organisation, Nancy supports various charities from an HR perspective, is a volunteer Adviser for Citizens Advice, and mentors women entrepreneurs through the Cherie Blair Foundation. She is completing a doctorate in Communication and Linguistics, and has a particular interest in early years language acquisition. 

Mark Harris is a business consultant with more than thirty years experience of international sales and marketing, most recently as global senior vice president of Quaker Chemical Corporation. Mark has been a trustee of Peeple since 2013 following completion of a project for the charity which he undertook as a volunteer with the Cranfield Trust, and was our chair of trustees from 2017 - 2023. He is also a trustee of Age UK Coventry & Warwickshire and the charity ZANE (Zimbabwe a National Emergency).

Kwasi Owusu-Asomaning joined the Board of Trustees in June 2024. He is founder and CEO of OAK Agility, a business consultancy firm operating across UK, Europe, US and Africa. Kwasi has worked with organisations in several business sectors to navigate significantly large business transformations. He leads several practitioner communities across Africa, UK, Europe and the US focusing on adult learning and personal growth. Kwasi is advising on business development, project management, technology strategy and some HR aspects connected to organisational culture.

Krystyna Grant is an expert in innovation and fundraising having worked in the charity and private sector in fundraising, marketing and innovation for over 15 years. Krystyna was Head of Innovation for the British Heart Foundation and is now at London Business School as Director of Innovation, where she is responsible for developing new products and services for the higher education sector. Krystyna is a proud mum of two young children and passionate about education, supporting families and early years learning.

Laura Barbour has 30 years of experience in the voluntary sector. As the first employee at the Sutton Trust social mobility charity, she had a wide ranging role. She then focused on developing the Trust’s Early Years strand, leading on research, policy initiatives and practical programme delivery. Laura developed a strong network across the early years community, which included working closely with Peeple. In June 2024 Laura joined Chimo Trust, supporting the creation of a community of best practice in social prescribing for young people’s mental health.

Marie McQuade is a lecturer in the School of Education, University of Glasgow, teaching across a range of courses including PGD/BA Childhood Practice, M.Ed Childhood Practice and M.Sc. Educational Studies. She has more than 18 years of experience in education and childcare leadership, policy development and professional learning. Her PhD and research interests focus on social policy design, development and articulation, and leadership development.

Our staff

Chief Executive Officer: Sally Smith

Sally leads the staff team, develops collaborative relationships with others working in our sector, and is responsible for the strategic direction and financial management of Peeple. She has been CEO since 2011 and has worked for the organisation since 2006. Sally has a background in research, including at the Department of Education at the University of Oxford. Her doctoral thesis was about the origins and uses of the ORIM framework (which underpins the Peep Learning Together Programme).
sally.smith@peeple.org.uk    t 01865 395145   twitter/X: @Peeple_Sally 

Peep Training and Accreditation Team

National Training and Accreditation Manager: Liz Ersoy
Liz is responsible for the development, delivery, quality assurance and accreditation of Peep training and delivery support in the UK, Ireland and Australia. She worked within early learning, family support, staff training and management in Edinburgh for many years. Liz became Peeple's Training and Accreditation Manager in autumn 2021, after several years as a freelance Peep trainer, Peep Policy Officer then Family Learning Scotland manager. 
liz.ersoy@peeple.org.uk   t 07483 119866  twitter/X: @peeple_liz

Development Manager (England): Diane Campkin 
Diane is responsible for the development and delivery support of Peep Training in England. She has a long background in teaching in early years, as well as delivering training and support to other early years professionals. She joined Peeple as a freelance trainer before taking up her current role in June 2022.
diane.campkin@peeple.org.uk  t 07442 500693  twitter/X: @peeple_diane

Development Manager (Scotland): Vivianne McWhinnie
Vivianne is responsible for the development and delivery support of Peep Training in Scotland.  Vivianne’s background is in Early Years, where she found her love for Peep. She has delivered a variety of groups for many years, as well as training and supporting other Early Years professionals. She began working for Peeple in April 2024.
vivianne.mcwhinnie@peeple.org.uk    t  07934587973     twitter/X: @Peeple_Vivianne   

Lead Trainer/ Implementation Support Manager: Debbie Rudman
debbie.rudman@peeple.org.uk    t 07774 329292

Qualifications Manager: Debbie Holmes
Debbie leads on the Peep Progression Pathway qualification units for parents, and the Peep Learning Together Programme accreditation for practitioners. She became a passionate advocate for Peep after delivering the Peep programme and parent accreditation to families whilst working as an Early Years teacher in both inner-city schools and children's centres. 
debbie.holmes@peeple.org.uk   t 07578 285002  twitter/X: @peeple_debbie

Families Learning Together Project: Scotland

Project Manager: Laura Niven
Laura leads our Families Learning Together project, part of the Scottish government's Whole Family Well-being Funding initiative. Laura's background is in early education, working in nurseries and nannying for several years before becoming a Lecturer of Early Learning and Childcare, during which time she discovered her passion for all things Peeple and Peep!
laura.niven@peeple.org.uk  t 07767 169539   twitter/X: @peeple_laura

Trainers and Training Administrators
We have a network of trainers based around the UK and Ireland who work for Peeple on a sessional basis. They are experienced in working with families, and the use of Peep programmes. Several of our trainers also co-ordinate delivery of the Programme within their local authority area, and deliver the training locally within a Peep Training and Support Agreement.
Our training administrators are central to the smooth organisation of Peep training and of both parent and practitioner accreditation.
training@peeple.org.uk  t 01865 397970

communications, development and operational teams

Communications Manager: Charlotte Holmes and Communications Officer: Keira Garrigan
Charlotte and Keira are responsible for communications which support the delivery of Peep programmes, including the Peeple website and digital media, and for marketing Peep training. Charlotte has worked in various roles at Peeple over the past twenty years, and has a background in psychology, literacy and education.  
charlotte.holmes@peeple.org.uk   twitter/X: @PeepleCharlotte
Keira joined Peeple in 2022, bringing her experience of content creation, digital marketing, writing and sharing her passion for getting children outdoors connecting with nature. 
keira.garrigan@peeple.org.uk
support@peeple.org.uk   t 01865 397976   Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram: all @PeepleCentre    LinkedIn: Peeple

Project Manager - STEM/ Early Steps Together: Katy Baker
Katy leads on our projects supporting the foundations of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and Early Steps Together (in partnership with Learning with Parents) - developing digital content to support the Learning Together Programme.  She has worked in a range of roles at Peeple since the late noughties, and has a background in community learning and development, early years education, and adult and family learning.
katy.baker@peeple.org.uk  t 07825 775459  

Finance Manager: Janet Sly
Janet manages our Peeple and PLL finances, overseeing our financial and legal planning. She has worked at Peeple for many years, with her role previously incorporating HR and premises.
janet.sly@peeple.org.uk  t 01865 397978

Human Resources Manager: Carey Hope
carey.hope@peeple.org.uk  or  jobs@peeple.org.uk for job enquiries   t 01865 592569
 

peep delivery, services and childcare in Oxfordshire

Local delivery and Growing Minds Manager: Becky Young
Becky is responsible for our work with families - in the Leys and Rose Hill areas of Oxford, and via Growing Minds, our collaborative school readiness project with Homestart Oxford & The Berin Centre, in Littlemore and Berinsfield. Becky has several years' experience as a primary school teacher and in working with families of under 5s, and joined Peeple in 2022.
becky.young@peeple.org.uk   t 01865 397971   twitter/X: @peeple_becky

Early Education and Childcare Manager (Oxfordshire): Lindsey Hart
Lindsey manages our Little Peeple Nursery in Littlemore, Oxford, and previously managed the Red Kite Children’s Centre in Thame on our behalf. She is an experienced NNEB and has set up and managed day nurseries at the local school and FE college, where she also lectured in Childcare and Education.  
lindsey.hart@peeple.org.uk  t 01865 397972

Educational consultant: Helen Stroudley
Helen is the educational consultant on behalf of Peeple for CBeebies' The Baby Club and The Toddler Club, and Moonbug's Little Baby Bum. She previously delivered Peep programmes and training, and managed local Peep delivery, and has previous experience as a nursery nurse (NNEB). 
helen.stroudley@peeple.org.uk

Administrators and Practitioners
At the Peeple Centre, we have a team of experienced administrators and Peep practitioners who work with local families and settings in and around Oxford, including in our Little Peeple Nursery. 
families@peeple.org.uk   t 01865 395145

>  Our trustees
>  Our programme/ website contributors

The starting point for Peep was a breakfast meeting in the early 1990s between Michael O’Regan and Tim Brighouse, who was then Oxfordshire’s Chief Education Officer. Mike had developed a deep interest in the education of very young children; Tim was nationally renowned and about to become Professor of Education at Keele University.

Mike had one vital question: “Would an early years parent-focused project be a good idea?” Tim’s answer was emphatic and positive. 

Mike started to develop a network of professional and academic supporters, and he became a governor of Peers School in Blackbird Leys, Oxford. He began to question the causes of underachievement and disaffection among some pupils, with the support of Bernard Clarke, the head teacher. His trail of questioning led down the age groups from secondary to middle to primary and then to pre-school children. First School teachers expressed their difficulty when children arrived with few social skills and little predisposition to read and learn.

Teresa Smith from Oxford University helped in setting up some mini-research, with two of her colleagues interviewing 19 local mothers. The response was consistent: they all desperately wanted to help their young children have a good start at school but didn’t know what they should do to support children’s early development; nor were they confident in their own abilities.

So, with backing and advice from experts in early literacy development, education and social policy, Peers Early Education Partnership (PEEP) was established in 1995. It had a particular mission to work with families in the catchment area of Peers School. The project was led by Dr Rosemary Roberts, crucial in shaping what PEEP did, as the first Director. She and music specialist, Dr Alison Street, developed sessions for families which became the basis of the Peep Learning Together programme. Tim Brighouse remained hugely enthusiastic and supportive, becoming a PEEP trustee.

Additional to their local impact, the early Peep team helped affect national policy. They influenced the Department for Education’s definition of ‘early years’ changing to start at birth instead of age 3 as before, and the Treasury’s creation of Sure Start [later re-named Sure Start Children's Centres], which drew heavily on what they learned from Peep.

Over the following twenty years Peep was grounded in its Oxford base. This included leading one of the trailblazer Sure Start Local Programmes in the Rose Hill and Littlemore part of the local catchment area. The Peep vision was to transform a community by working with the students of the future by supporting their parents as first educators - and to do so from birth.

The project quickly established itself and drew attention; it grew beyond Oxford into a programme of national potential. Practitioner training and accreditation was developed. Since 2000 well over 10,000 practitioners, working in a wide variety of family support, education, health and community organisations, have been trained to deliver Peep programmes. The approach was clear from the outset: 'working with' rather than 'doing to' families. The replacement of ‘Peers’ with ‘Parents’ for the first initial of Peep reflected this change, while reinforcing the fundamental importance of ‘Partnership’.

Peep’s ideas were innovative, pre-dating and contributing to the Sure Start initiative and the now-accepted national focus on early intervention. As Mike O'Regan recalls: "Less helpful at that time were the Charity Commission: when we applied to be a charity, they rejected our charitable Object [aim] ‘to support the education and cognitive development of children from birth’. They said, ‘education of a 0-3-year-old is a contradiction in terms’. So we had to cheat, changing our Object to 3-5-year-olds but then ignoring that constraint as much as we could in what we did. Later, the Charity Commission did allow us to change our Object to ‘from birth’ ".  By 2011 Department of Education policy was stating: “Mothers and fathers are their children’s first and most important educators.”

A number of university studies have evaluated the effectiveness of the Peep programme on parents and children, including those who are sometimes considered ‘hard to reach’. The development of qualification units for parents as well as practitioners - known as the Peep Progression Pathway - extended the learning opportunities for parents, often acting as a first step into further learning, volunteering or employment.

With Mike O’Regan still involved and since 2012 under the leadership of Sally Smith and a distinguished board of trustees, Peep’s progress needed one further evolution of its name. To reflect its growing reach and distinguish between the organisation and the programmes, while remaining committed to its origins and humane principles, the organisation became known as Peeple in 2014. This was chosen to reflect that Peeple is a learning enterprise with an inclusive, human approach, focused on parents, carers and young children.

> Read more about the difference between Peep and Peeple.

Peeple is a charity, whose main purpose is to support parents/carers, babies and children to learn together and improve children's outcomes, by valuing and building on what families already do. Peep practitioners and families share information and ideas from our evidence-based Peep Learning Together Programme about how to make the most of the learning and play opportunities that surround us in everyday life. Research shows that this - known as the home learning environment - makes the biggest contribution to narrowing the gap in children's outcomes. We want to share these messages as widely as possible. So, as well as working directly with families in Oxfordshire, we train practitioners around the UK, Ireland and Australia. All our work is underpinned by the Peep principles and the ORIM framework.

>  Click here to watch our 4-minute 'What is Peep?' video, and hear the views of Peep practitioners and parents

training practitioners

We train and support about 1000 practitioners every year. The Peep Learning Together Programme and the Peep Antenatal Programme are used by early years and family support professionals to help parents create the best start for their children by listening, talking, playing, singing and sharing books and stories together. Practitioners come from a range of backgrounds including family work, education and childcare, and health. You can read more about the variety of ways that people are using Peep Programmes.

programme delivery with families

We are also a delivery organisation, based in Oxford, where we work directly with local families. Some of this work is commissioned by our partners in the area, and some is funded to develop innovative ways of supporting parents and children to learn together. In 2018 we opened our Little Peeple Nursery, next to the Peeple Centre in south Oxford, incorporating our Peep Pre-school which opened in 2015. We have a Peeple base in Edinburgh, where we are supported by the Scottish Government to grow our work in Scotland and to develop parent qualifications and progression.

We are involved in research through the evaluation of our programmes and projects, and we work to influence policy both locally and nationally.

>  Download our Peep Learning Together Overview leaflet.

Read more about Peep delivery around the country in our case studies.

Little Peeple Nursery follows the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) principles and guidance. The EYFS was produced by the government and early years professionals, to be used by all childcare or early education providers, including nurseries, pre-schools and child-minders.

There are seven areas of learning and development in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Every area of development is equally important. The three prime areas are personal, social and emotional development, communication and language, and physical development. There are four specific areas in which the prime skills are applied: literacy, maths, expressive arts and design, and understanding the world. Stages of development are more important than ages.

Click on any of the links below to read more about how we put the EYFS principles into practice:

Our antenatal programme supports expectant parents (mums and dads) to:

• think about their baby, tune in to their baby's feelings and respond sensitively (also known as reflective function),
• understand the importance of sensitive parenting to developing a loving, consistent and secure attachment,
• become more aware of the social and emotional aspects of the transition to parenthood,
• manage their own (sometimes difficult) feelings that are aroused by a new baby,
• understand how to support their baby's early learning and brain development,
• meet other expectant or new parents and develop a supportive network group, and engage with other local services,
• reduce the risk to the early parent–infant relationship (by helping to prevent, for example, isolation, anxiety and low-level depression).

These things help parent-baby bonding and attachment. Research indicates that strong relationships enhance parents' confidence and self-esteem. They also contribute to better outcomes for the child in terms of their cognitive development (learning and understanding), the relationships they build, and their resilience to cope if life gets tough.

peep antenatal training - for practitioners

Our 1-day Peep Antenatal training equips practitioners with the knowledge, practical skills and resources to deliver the Peep Antenatal Programme. As the Covid pandemic has highlighted, early intervention plays a crucial role in supporting families at such a life-changing time.

feedback from parents-to-be

'I found out lots about what baby gets up to inside my belly'

'We learned how to help our baby to learn and what to expect, and how important it is to interact with baby before she’s even here'

'I enjoyed making baby’s first book, meeting other mums to be, sharing stories’

'Since coming to Peep Antenatal I massage my tummy, sing songs and talk to her'

'I was surprised and pleased to find out that my baby is a lot brighter than I thought'

using the antenatal programme with expectant parents

The Peep Antenatal Programme can be used perinatally - during pregnancy (from 28+ weeks is recommended) to the early weeks following birth. It can be used for a flexible number of sessions, including one-to-one with parent/s and baby in the home or in other settings, or in groups.

programme development

Our antenatal programme for families, and the training for practitioners, were developed with Professor Jane Barlow and colleagues at the University of Warwick Medical School. It was originally known as Peep Reflective Parenting. All Peep Programme delivery is underpinned by our principles.

> Download our Peep Antenatal Programme & Training leaflet 

> Find out about our Peep Antenatal Training for practitioners or check out the next Peep Antenatal Training dates.

We are working with Action for Children on a two-year project working with child-minders in Oxfordshire and around the country.

The aim of the project is to improve outcomes for children, through training and supporting child-minders:

• to use the Peep Learning Together programme in their work directly with children and
• to share elements of the programme with parents.

The project is being funded by the Department of Education.

We have been working in partnership with the NHS to carry out a three year project (commissioned by Oxfordshire County Council) to develop and deliver high quality support for early language development from birth to four.

The purpose of the work is to enhance the life chances of children by improving their communication and language skills.

With speech and language therapists across the county, we now provide a menu of interventions which combine the strengths of both our organisations, add value to what we can offer, and avoid duplication.

The Early Language Support programme combines targeted and universal services which:

• work preventatively with families from the earliest weeks of their child’s life
• work with and through parents, supporting them as their child’s first and most significant educator
• provide specialised speech and language support where needed
• improve access to families who may be hard to reach
• train practitioners in early years settings
• embed training into practice.

> Read more in an article from the Public Services Review 

Our work in Oxfordshire keeps us grounded in the reality of parents and young children learning together. It’s also lots of fun! Delivering the programme with families informs our training and provides continuing evidence of the effectiveness of our programmes.

Peeple Centre

At the Peeple Centre in south Oxford we have been working with local families, using the Peep Learning Together programme, since 1995. This is the only place that we employ our own Peep practitioners, who work in the Leys and are part of our collaborative Growing Minds project with Home-Start Oxford and The Berin Centre, in Littlemore and Berinsfield.  We also have our own Little Peeple Nursery just round the corner.

We train practitioners employed by other organisations, who are using the Peep Learning Together Programme around the UK, Ireland and Australia. The programme is used in outreach work, groups and drop-ins sessions, with parents/carers and their children from birth to school.

We work in partnership with local health, education and voluntary sector organisations to provide a wide range of Peep delivery in Oxfordshire. We were involved in establishing and running a couple of local children’s centres, before local authority funding cuts.

Peep with families - Delivery Team in Oxfordshire 

If you’re pregnant or a parent/carer of a 0-5 year old in Greater Leys, Blackbird Leys, Littlemore or Berinsfield in Oxford/shire, or a professional working with families in these areas, please contact us to find out more about free Peep Learning Together sessions:
Tel 01865 395145  or  email families@peeple.org.uk   or find out more: www.peeple.org.uk/parents-area

The list below shows some of the kinds of delivery that we've been involved in locally, with links to give you an idea of what that work entails.

> Outreach and home visits

> Peep groups

> Early Explorers in child health clinics

> South Asian Women’s groups

> Transition (into pre-school/nursery/school)