• home
• full contents
• quick guide
• keywords & contacts
• Frameworki Help
• forms library
• Alerts and Suggestions
• search

• 

Contents

1. Introduction
2. Frequency/Timescales for Personal Education Plans
3. PEP Reviews 

1. Introduction

1.1 General Information

The Personal Education Plan (PEP) is the central platform for the education of Looked After Children, and is incorporated within or attached to each child's Care Plan.

All Looked After Children of compulsory school age must have a Personal Education Plan (PEP), as part of their Care Plan, including those young people who are not currently in education, and for whom appropriate educational placement is being sought.

The social worker is responsible for initiating and compiling PEPs.

When a child is attending school, the school's Designated Teacher for Children in Care is responsible for ensuring that a child has a PEP, in consultation with the social worker.

The social worker should convene meetings, as necessary, to ensure the PEP is completed and that an episode is created in Framework I, containing parts A, B,C and D of the PEP.

A PEP must be based on accurate and up-to-date information. All those involved in the child’s education should be consulted.

Targets should be identified which are achievable and measurable, showing small steps of progress in concrete, observable tasks. Targets which are not met when evaluated at a review should not be repeated, but broken down further into a more specific and measurable tasks or skills.

If a referral is made for assessments from outside agencies because there are concerns about a child, it is essential that schools continue to plan and make provision for the child. This means that school-based interventions are identified which will begin to meet their needs while expert opinion is sought. A child who is causing concern must be accessing at least one or more school-based intervention.

It is essential that the young person’s view, as recorded on Form C, is discussed at the PEP meeting when the young person is present. Any decisions and actions resulting from this discussion should be recorded on Form D, and evaluated at the next review, ensuring that they have been followed through. This aspect of the PEP has the greatest significance for the young person attending the PEP, and, when managed well, can facilitate their self-perception that they can be ‘agents for change’, central to long-term well-being, increased resilience, success in education and employability. 

Recommendations from the PEP meeting should be presented at the Looked After Review.

The social worker must also ensure that parents are involved in these events as far as is appropriate, and that copies of the child's school reports are sent to the parents.

1.2 If a Child has no School Place

There the child has no school place, the Social Worker should:

1. Inform the Schools Admissions Department in the Local Authority where the child is living (or expected to be residing); enter the carer’s postcode onto the following website to confirm local authority and link to admission department (see Direct Gov website);
2. Alert Haringey Virtual School EWO (Education Welfare Officer), see Section 3, When a Child has No School Place of Moving to a new School/Authority Procedure.

1.3 Pupils with a Statement of SEN

Education provision for pupils with a Statement of Special Educational Need can be changed only with the agreement of Haringey SEN Panel. The Annual Review can be brought forward if there is concern that the statement does not reflect the child’s need.

1.4 School Placement Changes for Pupils with a Statement of SEN

For a Haringey child with a statement of special educational needs, any school placement change must be managed by the SEN Department of the Local Authority where the child resides, in consultation with Haringey SEN Department; this includes transition between phases, e.g. from Key Stage 2 to 3, or ‘in year’ placement changes.

2. Frequency/Timescales for Personal Education Plans

2.1 The First Personal Education Plan

The first Personal Education Plan (PEP) should be in place prior to a child coming into care. If a child has come into care on an emergency placement, the PEP meeting must take place within the first 10 days. (2010 No.959 Children and Young Persons, England. The Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010 Part 2, 5(b)(ii)).

A meeting must take place as soon as possible, involving the school, the carer and the social worker; the child / young person should also be involved, as far as is appropriate and possible.

The first PEP should:

• Identify the child's immediate needs and the work required to stabilise the child at school; recorded on Form D;
• Facilitate the sharing of care and educational information; care information recorded on Form A by the social worker – hard copy brought to the meeting;
• Note the academic baseline; recorded on Form B of the PEP;
• Note the child’s views; recorded on Form C;
• Establish contact between carer, school staff, Social worker, and other professionals involved - the basis of a ‘team around the child’;
• Establish boundaries of confidentiality;
• Agree how and when (within the next 3 months) the next PEP is going to be drawn up.

2.2 Second and Subsequent PEPs

Second and subsequent PEPs must correspond with the ‘Looked After Review’ cycle. The PEP must be available to the Reviewing Officer prior to the LAC review.

Subsequent PEPs should:

• Acknowledge the successes achieved;
• Address current concerns and agree new decisions and recommendations;
• Establish that the child / young person is making academic progress at least at an average rate and plan how the school is going to continue to meet their needs, using school-based interventions;
• If the child is not making progress, identify (i) the child's needs and (ii) the school-based provision which is available from the school’s own resources to narrow the learning gap; this could take the form of group work, 1-1 support or targeted programmes run within the school. This is recorded on Form D;
• If the child is not making progress, facilitate referrals to other agencies for educational assessment, e.g. Educational Psychologist, behaviour, speech and language; via Common Assessment Framework (CAF). NB: the child must still be accessing school-based interventions while waiting for assessments;
• Ensure that agreed actions and recommendations from the previous PEP have been implemented; SW should bring the previous PEP to the meeting;
• Facilitate continued sharing of care and educational information; care information recorded on Form A by the social worker - hard copy brought to the meeting;
• Record current levels of attainment; recorded on Form B of the PEP;
• Note the child’s views; recorded on Form C, and discussed while the young person is present at the meeting;
• Facilitate on-going contact between carer, school staff, Social worker, and other professionals involved - the basis of the ‘Team around the Child’;
• Agree the date of the next PEP meeting.

3. PEP Reviews

Second and subsequent Personal Education Plans (PEP) should correspond with the Looked After Review cycle and PEP decisions and recommendations must be available to Reviewing Officers prior to the reviews.

3.1 Preparation for the Meeting

Forms B, C and D of the PEP should be sent to the school two weeks before the PEP, so that forms B and C can be completed prior to the meeting; form D is completed at the meeting. Form A is completed by the social worker prior to the meeting, with hard copies taken to the meeting, for discussion by all professionals involved.

Completion of Form C should be facilitated by a member of school staff who has a close knowledge of the child / young person’s education. It should provide the young person with an opportunity to structure their thinking about school and their education and put it into words in a safe and relaxed setting. They should be offered support to attend the meeting, and advocacy should be arranged, if necessary. The contents of Form C should be discussed at the review, with the young person present, when possible.

3.2 The PEP Meeting - Arrangements

The meeting should involve the child, if possible and appropriate, the carer(s), the appropriate member(s) of school staff, LA representatives, as necessary, and parents, if appropriate.

The meeting is chaired by the designated teacher for children in care, or another senior teacher, if that role has been delegated.

If more than one plan is being drawn up at a meeting, e.g. PEP, Annual Review of Special Educational Need, Individual Education Plan (IEP), or Pastoral Support Plan (PSP) - (a behaviour plan drawn up when a child is at risk of exclusion), the social worker needs to agree with professional colleagues how responsibility for the meeting is to be shared.

3.3 PEP Decisions

The participants should agree what action they will each undertake to achieve the improvements in the child's education that they have identified through the consultation/preparation process.

3.4 PEP Recommendations

Proposals that would lead to significant changes in arrangements (e.g. a change of school, a request for a statutory assessment of Statement of Special Educational Needs) should brought to the attention of the SW team manager for advice.

End