Personal Education Plans: what are they?
A Personal Education Plan (PEP) is part of a Cared for Child's care plan. All Cared for Children of statutory school age need a PEP. The PEP is an important document because it is:
- a record of a child’s educational needs
- a personalised plan to meet the child’s educational needs, raise aspirations and improve their life chances
- a live and evolving document that shows how professionals are working (and plan to work) with the child to ensure their progress towards fulfilling their potential
- For a child with SEND who has an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP), the PEP should complement (but not duplicate or replace) the EHCP.
Roles and Responsibilities
According to statutory guidance, it is the shared responsibility of several partners to produce and monitor the Personal Education Plan. The key question ‘Would this be good enough for my child?’ is a central one in making decisions and evaluating the effectiveness of the Personal Education Plan. The roles and responsibilities of these partners are outlined below.
Sefton Virtual School
The Virtual School Head has a statutory responsibility to ensure the quality of Personal Education Plans (PEPs) and oversee the spending of Pupil Premium Plus funds (PP+). The schools and settings that receive the funding will be held accountable to provide evidence of the effective and efficient use of Pupil Premium Plus.
In Sefton, we have a team who manage the process and support the partners involved. All PEPs are managed through Welfare Call and are held online. The Welfare Call system allows both Social Workers and Designated Teachers to set meeting dates and review previous PEPs. They will also attend review meetings, as appropriate, to offer advice and support. The Virtual School team will quality assure the PEPs before the PP+ funds are released to the schools. Education Coordinators will monitor the progress of Cared For Children and work with partners to ensure that PEPs are fit for purpose and reflect the needs of the young person. The Virtual School head has a duty to regularly update the Virtual School Governing Body about the progress of Looked After Children, and the quality of their Personal Education Plans.
Social Worker
The Social Worker is responsible for ensuring that the main PEP meeting takes place. This should be within 10 days of a child coming into care. The Social Worker should:
- Initiate a PEP (even if the child does not have a school place). It is important that the Virtual School is notified as early as possible so it can support this process
- Ensure that the PEP is effective and available for the first statutory review meeting of the Care Plan.
The Social Worker must arrange the PEP meeting (either the first one after the child comes into care, or at the start of the autumn term), liaising with the school’s Designated Teacher and parents/ carers. The Social Worker should inform the Virtual School of the date of the PEP meeting. Education Coordinators will attend these meetings, where possible, to provide advice and guidance.
Timely and effective planning and collaboration at this early stage will ensure that the PEP is fit for purpose and that difficulties are minimised later in the process.
During the PEP meeting, the Social Worker will contribute to the discussions about the child’s needs and actions needed to reduce barriers to learning. The following actions must be agreed:
- Targets (no more than 4) for the term
- Clear, evidence-based interventions and strategies to achieve the targets
- The expected outcomes
- Detailed costings for spending the PP+ funds
The PEP will be stored in the child’s records in ICS/ Liquid Logic.
Designated Teacher
The Designated Teacher has a critical role in helping a Cared for Child to thrive and succeed in school. They are responsible for keeping the PEP updated and ensuring that colleagues who are in contact with the child have the information and understanding about that child’s needs that will allow them to provide an education that supports, inspires and challenges them.
Termly progress and current attainment data must be shared through the PEP. Impact of interventions funded through Pupil Premium Plus must be clearly evidenced and recorded in the child’s PEP.
It is imperative that the PEP is a robust, live and personalised document that reflects the child’s needs and the school’s plan for meeting those needs. The Designated Teacher, with detailed knowledge of both the child and the school, is key to ensuring the quality of the PEP.
After the review, the Designated Teacher will need to complete the PEP document and submit the form on Welfare Call before the due date. PEP submission dates for 2023-2024 are:
- Friday 17thNovember (autumn PEP)
- Friday 22ndMarch (spring PEP)
- Friday 21st June (summer PEP)
.
In-Year School Transfers
If a child moves from one school to another during the academic year, a full PEP document will be forwarded to the new school by the Virtual School, and a new PEP meeting must be held. All school transfers for Cared For Children have to be authorised by the Virtual School.
Useful documents
| 7 Min Briefing PEP (002) |  (pub 256KB) |