| We are currently undertaking a review of Personal Education Plans for our children in care and would welcome your views. Details of how you can contribute to this are contained in the information via this link.
PEP Review Letter |
The Personal Education Plan (PEP) is the statutory tool to ensure that everyone is actively prioritising the education of the Young Person, carefully tracking their progress and supporting them to achieve and to be aspirational.
All 'Children Looked After' (CLA) have a statutory Care Plan, which is drawn up and reviewed by the Local Authority that looks after them. The Personal Education Plan (PEP) is a legal part of the Care Plan; which is a statutory requirement for CLA from a
child of 3 years if in education provision up to the age of 18.
A new process for PEPs was introduced in February 2022, this is the guidance for Social Workers
and this is the
guidance for Designated Teachers
As part of the PEP process, we are requesting that schools review previous PEPs. The outcomes of this review can be used to inform the setting of new targets for the latest PEP. The PEP Review document is included in the new PEP, blank copies can be found
in the PEP templates below.
In order to continue to facilitate effective PEP meetings and to create strong PEPS we are asking that schools and Designated Teachers continue to complete the action plan part of the PEP and provide social workers with a copy.
Blank PEP documents
Foundation
Primary
Secondary
Post 16
Special School and Specialist Provision
To support this process further, the Virtual School for CLA has produced a checklist for assisting schools to quality assure the PEPs of their LAC pupils.
This link
takes you to a checklist for your information and to quality assure your existing PEPs and future PEPs.
Good examples of PEPs:
Foundation Stage
Primary Example 1
Primary Example 2
Secondary
Special School and Specialist Provision
Post 16 EET
The following information has been taken from the Department for Education's statutory guidance,
Promoting the education of looked after children. It explains
what a good PEP should contain.
The range of education and development needs that should be covered in a PEP includes:
PEP Content
- on-going catch-up support for those who have fallen behind with school work (including use of effective intervention strategies)
- provision of immediate suitable education where a child is not in school (e.g. because of temporary or permanent exclusion)
- transition support needs where needed, such as when a child begins to attend a new school or returns to school (e.g. moving from pre-school, primary to secondary school or following illness or exclusion) or when a child has a plan for permanence (e.g. placed
for adoption) and may change schools as part of that plan;
- support needed to help the child realise their short and long term academic achievements and aspirations. This includes:
- support to achieve expected levels and complete an appropriate range of approved qualifications
- careers advice and guidance and Financial information about further and higher education.
Initiating, developing and reviewing the PEP
Wherever the child is placed, their social worker, supported by the authority’s Virtual School Head, should take the lead to:
- initiate a PEP even where a looked after child is without a school place. This includes meeting with appropriate education providers and the carer.
- Ensure that where a child is placed in an emergency the PEP is initiated within 10 working days of their becoming looked after, wherever they are placed.
- Ensure, with the support of others, including the VSH, that the PEP contains a summary of the child’s current attainment and progress
- Ensure the PEP gives details of who will take the plan forward and specifies timescales for action and review.
The Designated Teacher leads on how the PEP is developed and used in school to make sure the child’s progress towards education targets is monitored.
VSHs should have a quality assurance role in relation to PEPs. To be an effective and high quality PEP it should:
- Be a ‘living’, evolving, comprehensive and enduring record of the child’s experience, progress and achievement (academic and otherwise) and inform any discussion about education during the statutory review of the child’s wider care plan;
- Be linked to, but not duplicate or conflict with, information in any other plans held by the child’s education setting;
- Identify developmental (including any related to attachment) and educational needs (short and longer term) in relation to skills, knowledge, subject areas and experiences;
- Include SMART short term targets, including progress monitoring of each of the areas identified against developmental and educational needs;
- Include SMART longer-term plans for educational targets and aspirations. These should, according to age and understanding, typically focus on public examinations, further and higher education, managing money and savings, work experience and career plans
and aspirations
- Identify actions, with timescales, for specific individuals intended to support the achievement of agreed targets and use of any additional resources (e.g. the pupil premium) specifically designated to support the attainment of looked after children
- Highlight access to effective intervention strategies and how this will makes/has made a difference to achievement levels.
The Virtual School quality assures PEPs using this document - QA Grading Document
The Personal Education Plan sits as part of the care plan on a system used by Social Workers called LCS. They are accessible to schools through Bradford Schools Online. In order to facilitate effective PEP meetings and to create strong PEPS we are asking
DTs to complete the Action Plan part of the PEP and provide Social Workers with a copy. The Designated Teacher also completes the attainment levels on BSO termly.