Information for job applicants

How to apply for vacancies at Peeple

Please read the Applicants Pack which contains 5 documents as follows:

1.Information for applicants (this sheet)

2.PeepleApplication form

3.a. Equal Opportunities monitoring form

b. Interview arrangements for candidates with a Disability – please only send us this form if it applies to you and you are shortlisted for interview

4.Job Description and Person Specification

5.Equality and Diversity policy statement

The Job Description sets out the main expectations of the postholder. The Person Specification provides details of the essential and desirable experience, knowledge, skills and qualifications for the post. It is important that you address both these documents in your application, giving relevant examples from your experience.

Please complete all pages of the Peepleapplication form as thoroughly as possible giving full details of your work history. All employment and also periods when not working should be covered. CVs will not be accepted. Forms should be completed electronically if at all possible; if you are unable to download an application form from our website, please request one via email.

Please e-mail your completed application form to . The equal opportunities form should be emailed in a separate email with “EO form” in the subject line as it will be separated out on receipt and not viewed by the selection panel. Alternatively, you may post your completed forms to: the Peeple Centre, PO Box 1404, Oxford OX4 6XW.

Closing date: Mon 16 March 2015, 12 noon.

Interview date: Tues 24th and Weds 25th March in Edinburgh

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About Peeple

Peeple was established in Oxford in 1995 and has grown from a local intervention in south-east Oxford to a national organisation offering training and accreditation to early years practitioners around the UK to support their work with parents around their children’s learning and development. In addition, we continue to deliver services for families in Oxfordshire and to develop innovative interventions using the evidence-based Peep Learning Together Programme. We also train practitioners to use the Peeple Reflective Parenting Programme which is an antenatal course to support healthy bonding and attachment in the earliest weeks of life. As well as our base in Oxford, we have a small office in Edinburgh which we hope to expand in the coming years.

The Peep Learning Together Programme helps offers an effective way of helping:

  • parents in disadvantaged areas to improve their children’s life chances
  • all parents to create the best start for their children by making the most of everyday learning opportunities at home – listening, talking, playing, singing and sharing books and stories together
  • babies and children to make the most of their opportunities by becoming confident communicators and active learners
  • practitioners to reflect on and develop their work with parents and young children.

Peeple in Oxfordshire

In Oxfordshire we are primarily funded by contracts from the Local Authority and NHS and by individual children’s centres to work directly with families. Additional grant funding has allowed us to develop more innovative projects which we pilot in the area. The most recent of these is an antenatal programme to support early attachment which we are now offering to all families expecting a baby and living in the Greater Leys area.

We work in partnership with local organisations to support families within the area. Our partners include the Leys Children’s Centre which currently commissions us to carry out home visits to all families with a new-born baby, an Asian Women’s group, Stay and Play sessions at Windale Primary School and ‘Peeple sessions’ for babies, one-, two- and three-year olds.

We deliver Early Language Support services to Practitioners and families in Oxfordshire working in partnership with Speech and Language Therapists from the Oxford NHS Foundation Health Trust. Some of this work requires practitioners to have or work towards Preparing to Teach in the Life-Long Learning Sector (PTLLS) accreditation and to train and/or mentor practitioners in children’s centres and early years settings.

We have also developed our own Peeple Open College Network accredited programme for parents called “Learning Together at home” which is offered both locally in Oxford and by other Peep Practitioners across the UK.

Peeple child care

In January 2015 we opened the Peep Pre-school in the Greater Leys area of Oxford with 20 places for two and three year olds. Our longer term plans also include opening our own daycare nursery in Oxford.

Peeple staff

Peeple currently employs 23 staff with a mix of full time and part time positions. The main office is situated on the edge of the Oxford Academy campus in Littlemore, Oxford. We also have a small office in Edinburgh where we currently have two members of staff.

Peep Learning Ltd

Our training, including the Peep Learning Together programme and resources

– the Learning Together folder, DVDs and songbooks/CDs – are sold via our subsidiary company, Peep Learning Ltd. We train over 600 practitioners each year. We have a network of around 30 trainers who deliver training for us on a sessional basis

About accreditation

We encourage all delegates who attend Peep Learning Together Programme Trainingto complete City Guilds accreditation – the information is covered during the training course. The course is a level 3 City & Guilds accreditation unit, called Engage parents in their children's early learning.This gives practitioners 3 credits towards the 3599 Work with Parents award.

Peeple in Scotland

In 2013 we were successful in securing funding from the Third Sector Early Intervention Fund for two development workers to extend Peeple in Scotland, building on the significant number of organisations already trained in and using the Peep Learning Together Programme in Scotland.

In Scotland we are a training organisation and support the work of trained Peep practitioners across more than half of all Scottish local authorities. These Peep practitioners come from a diverse range of sectors to include early years, Community Learning and Development, Health, the Third Sector, Sports and Leisure and formal education.

We have built strong links with a number of local authority areas and organisations who deliver the PeepLearning Together programme. Their feedback and input has been invaluable in the development of Peeple materials, training and support UK-wide.

We work to extend the work of Peeple into new local authority areas, organisations or fields of work within Scotland and to continue to develop the infrastructure needed.

We have also developed the ‘Peep Progression Pathway’. This offers nine SCQF credit-rated units at three levels which formally recognise the learning which takes place through the delivery of the Learning Together Programme by trained practitioners. These are parent/carer qualifications and we support organisations and practitioners to offer these.

Our base in Scotland is in Edinburgh where a team of two work from a small office. Both roles involve working closely as a small team, working effectively with the wider team in Oxford often from a distance and considerable lone working.

Peeple is open to considering flexible working hours to include working from home on occasion.

Current job vacancies in Scotland

We have been awarded funding by the Third Sector Early Intervention Fund to continue our work in Scotland until 31 March 2016 which will cover the salaries of the Scottish Development Co-ordinator and the Qualifications Co-ordinator (Scotland). Over the coming year, we will be working to identify further funding for the two posts to allow work to continue in the longer term.

The current Qualifications Co-ordinator (Scotland) postholder is due to go on maternity leave at the end of May 2015 – hence this post is maternity cover and is offered as a temporary contract starting in April/May 2015 and ending around 31 March 2016.

The Scottish Development Co-ordinator post is vacant at present and is offered as a fixed term contract starting as soon as possible and ending on 31 March 2016 with potential for extension if funding becomes available.

Both posts are also suitable for applicants looking for a secondment from their current employer.

Peeplewebsite

Further details about Peeple, the programmes we offer and the services we provide can be found on the Peeple website: site is currently undergoing re-design following our recent name change to “Peeple”, so please be patient if you are unable to access it immediately.

Contact details:

The Peeple Centre, PO Box 1404, Littlemore, Oxford OX4 6XW

Tel. Janet Sly on 01865 397978 Email: