Support our work with Oxfordshire families
Research shows that over half of the inequality in educational outcomes seen at GCSE level is already evident at aged 5.
We want to change this. We want every child – no matter where they grow up – to have a start in life that enables them to fulfil their potential.
That’s why we have been working with local families for over 30 years, at the Peeple Centre in south-east Oxford. We were first established in 1995, to meet the local need for joined up support for parents.
Today our mission is the same as it was then: to help parents give their children the best possible start in life, so that they can go on to fulfil their potential.
In our local community we employ our own practitioners to lead weekly Peep groups for families, using our evidence-based Peep programmes. We deliver the book gifting scheme Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. We also offer early education and childcare through our Little Peeple Nursery.
All our work is strengths-based. Practitioners are there to help parents to see the value of everything that they are already doing to support their children’s development, and to help them to build on this.
Our evidence base shows that Peep programmes have a significant positive impact on children’s development and life chances. They include Peep Learning Together (a DfE-approved intervention, being delivered in many of England’s Family Hubs), as well as Peep Antenatal and Peep TALK.
My heart pains when I think that my parents are no more, but this group helped me to come out from my low moods. We enjoyed learning all topics, I made shakers and streamer with my daughter and also now made a small treasure basket from my kitchen stuff. My daughter loves books, the story we read all the time is Sparrow and crow as well as Imagination Library books, always a treasure for us.” Recently bereaved Peep EAL parent
Working collaboratively
These programmes are delivered in a whole variety of ways – through groups for parents and children, home visits, weekly Stay and Play drop-in sessions for families, and tailored groups for families with SEND and families with English as an Additional Language.
We strive to be an organisation that seeks out and listens to the voices of our beneficiaries. We continue to adapt our delivery to meet the needs of the people we’re serving.
We also work in collaboration with local health, education and voluntary sector organisations to maximise our impact and ensure services for families are as integrated as possible.
Our local work keeps us grounded in the reality of parents and young children learning together. Delivering our programmes with families helps us to continually evaluate their effectiveness, and informs our training of practitioners around the UK and beyond.
Growing Minds
Growing Minds is an ambitious, collaborative project working to improve children’s life chances in Littlemore and Berinsfield, Oxfordshire. It provides wrap-around, integrated support for the families of children aged 0-5.
Growing Minds is a partnership project delivered by Peeple, Home-Start Oxford and The Berin Centre, in collaboration with statutory services.
Three evidence-based interventions work together to improve children’s school-readiness:
- Peep groups for children and parents: delivering Peeple’s evidence-based programmes, and helping parents support their child’s development
- 1-to-1 home-visiting support: supporting families to move through complex issues such as mental health struggles, addiction, trauma, family conflict
- Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library: a book-gifting scheme delivering a free, age-appropriate book every month to children, enabling families to enjoy reading together and all the benefits this brings
Impact
In Littlemore, where Growing Minds is a universal offer for 0-5s, primary school John Henry Newman has seen a 12% increase in the number of five year olds achieving a Good Level of Development in Reception class since Growing Minds has been fully operating.
In recent parent feedback:
100% of parents shared books with their child more than 3 times a week
100% of parents said they were doing activities with their child at home which they learnt about in their Peep group
90% of parents engaged in 1-to-1 home visiting support said they felt they were coping better
97% parents felt that taking part in Growing Minds had improved their relationship with their child
Before Growing Minds I knew nothing about child development, and now I feel confident to help support my child’s growth.” Parent
An independent evaluation of Growing Minds conducted in 2023 identified “clear evidence of positive outcomes in terms of improving the home learning environment and strengthening the coping capacity of families, and significant positive impact on the lives of many of the participating families. These achievements are forming the building blocks for improving school readiness and closing the disadvantage gap in the longer term.”
Why Littlemore and Berinsfield?
Littlemore ranks within the top 20% most deprived wards in England, and the top 10% in ‘Income Deprivation Affecting Children’. In Berinsfield, 25% of children are living in poverty (19% nationally). We work in Littlemore and Berinsfield because we know there is a need, and because our organisations have been committed to these areas for over 30 years.
Any family living in Littlemore or Berinsfield can sign up to Growing Minds.
We believe that taking a place-based approach – responding to the unique needs of families in our communities – is crucial.
National Influence
Growing Minds has gained national recognition as a leading example of best practice in joined-up, collaborative work with families of under 5s. The project has been presented to the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Social Mobility, to The Royal Foundation, and at the Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership’s Early Years Summit.
We are currently developing a blueprint outlining the model of Growing Minds – it shares the unique strengths of the core components, and their significant flexibility in delivery, so that the Growing Minds model could be adopted and adapted in other localities.
Due to its high level of place-based adaptability, Growing Minds could form a valuable component of any Family Hub to be established as part of the government’s upcoming Best Start for Life strategy.
Find out more
Growing Minds parent story
Case for support
Growing Minds Evaluation summary