Bishop Burton College announces exciting collaboration for T Level students and children’s development charity Peeple

Bishop Burton College is delighted to announce it is working with Peeple, a charity that supports parents with children’s learning, to deliver the charity’s Peep Learning Together programme (Peep).

The learning-focused initiative is designed to support parents and carers make the most of the education and development opportunities that surround them in everyday life and play. Peep will be delivered by the college’s Education and Early Years T Level students, under the supervision and guidance of the expert lecturing team.

Whilst this will be the first time children and their parents and carers will be welcomed onto campus, the T Level students have extensive experience working in early years environments, thanks to the Industry Placement element of the course. Equivalent to three A Levels, T levels are ideal for students who have a specific career goal in mind, as they spend time in the classroom on theoretical academic learning as well as on a substantial Industry Placement putting this learning into practice in a real-life education setting.

Curriculum Lead T Levels Education and Early Years, Health and Business Helen Stanway said “We are thrilled to be introducing Peep at Bishop Burton. It represents a fantastic opportunity for the students to build and develop upon the skills they have cultivated through classroom-based learning and on placement in an early years setting in another context. The Peep programme focuses on helping parents and carers make the most of everyday learning opportunities at home and in the community; introducing a fresh perspective towards child development to students.”

Helen who has been involved in the Education and Early Years T Level since its introduction in 2021 and was amongst one of the first in the UK to teach these innovative courses, has qualified as a Peep Progression Pathway Assessor to support the delivery of the Peep Progression Pathway. 

She continues, “I’m delighted to have been approved as a Progression Pathway Assessor, as this status means that parents and childminders attending the sessions with their children also have the opportunity to complete a recognised certified qualification. This can support them with their own professional development into volunteering, co-delivering sessions, employment or further education.”

Second year T Level student Destiny Bishop said “I’m so excited to be part of the team who will be working on Peep. Watching the children I work with on placement enjoy and engage with activities I’ve created is one of my favourite parts of the course. I really love seeing the children achieve milestones and knowing I’ve contributed to that is really rewarding; so I’m really looking forward to getting hands on and supporting parents and carers with the development of their children.”

Peeple was established in the 1990s to support parents and carers build on what they do as families at home to improve their child’s learning outcomes. The Peep programme was designed to facilitate this mission by providing accessible free sessions for parents and carers to join activities and conversations focused on developing their child’s learning and development. Sessions showcase how singing, talking, playing and sharing books and stories together help strengthen relationships and develop children's listening, talking and longer term - literacy; empowering them in their skills as parents.

Diane Campkin Development Manager at Peeple said “We are incredibly excited to be working with the T Level students at Bishop Burton and have Helen on board as a Progression Pathway Assessor. Peep is focused on early years and parents, but working with these young people to deliver the Peep programme also supports the students’ own learning and development to become the next generation of early years professionals. We have been incredibly impressed with the skills, knowledge and aptitude demonstrated by the students and I am confident that they will prove to be engaging and inspiring practitioners for the programme. I can’t wait to see them in action.” 

Bishop Burton is opening up the free Peep sessions to local childminders and parent. Anyone interested in participating can contact Helen Stanway directly helen.stanway@bishopburton.ac.uk

The college is currently accepting applications for September 2024, to discover more about T Level Education and Early Years please visit https://www.bishopburton.ac.uk/college/study/subjects/education-and-early-years