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Contents

1. The Personal Education Plan (PEP) - Introduction
2. When a Child first becomes Looked After
3. When a Child Moves into a New Local Authority
4. When a Child Needs or Joins a New School
5. When a Child has No School Place
6. Reviewing and Updating PEPS
7. When a Child is Absent from School
8. School Exclusions
9. When a young person is on roll at a Pupil Referral Unit
10. Support within Residential Placements
11. When a Young Woman becomes Pregnant

1. The Personal Education Plan (PEP) - Introduction

The Personal Education Plan (PEP) is the central platform for the education of Looked After Children, The Personal Education Plan should be initiated as part of the Care Plan before the child becomes Looked After (or within 10 working days in the case of an emergency placement is an integral part of the child’s Care Plan (in the same way as the Personal Health Plan is an integral part of the Care Plan), reflecting any existing plans e.g. Individual Education Plan (IEP), Statement of Special Educational Need (SSEN) to avoid duplication. A PEP provides a record of what needs to happen for children looked after, to enable them to fulfil their potential. It should reflect the importance of a personalised approach to learning, which secures good basic skills, stretches aspirations and builds life chances. The PEP should be available for the first Looked After Review Meeting.

Section 52 of The Children Act 2004 places a duty on local authorities to promote the educational achievement of looked after children. To discharge the duty on a day-to-day basis, local authorities must ensure that:

'all looked after children of compulsory school age have an effective and high quality PEP'.

Further information on the duty is contained in HM Government Statutory Guidance on the duty, which can be downloaded at: Department for Education website.

The PEP is the key means of gathering together and analysing all relevant information about the child’s educational background, needs and achievement levels. It provides essential information to ensure that appropriate support is in place to enable the child to achieve the targets set. It is also a record of the child’s leisure interests and educational achievement. The process of creating a PEP ensures that there is participation by the child, by the child’s parents, by the carers of the child, by the school, and other relevant professionals in producing an effective plan that is right for that child.

All Looked After Children of compulsory school age must have a Personal Education Plan (PEP), whether or not currently in education. In addition where a pre-school child is in education provision such as a nursery, a PEP should be held to consider how their educational needs are being met.

The social worker is responsible for initiating and ensuring PEPs are available for LAC reviews.

When a child is attending school, the school’s Designated Teacher or other identified member of staff is also responsible for ensuring that a child has a PEP, in consultation with the social worker.

The social worker should convene PEP meetings and request assistance from a member of the Children Looked After Education Support Service (CLAESS),  to chair and write up minutes of the meeting, transferring targets to the ICS form in line with Council procedures. CLAESS is a multi-disciplinary service dedicated to improving the educational progress and attainment of looked after children. There are four education support co-ordinators who are responsible between them for all children looked after by Wandsworth, regardless of where they are placed. There is an education welfare officer who monitors attendance and an educational psychologist who works with pre-school children and can provide consultation and intervention with individual young people where appropriate. 

The PEP meetings may take place at the school, at a Children’s Services office, at the child’s placement or other suitable place. The child’s wishes and feelings should always be considered when deciding on the most suitable venue for the meeting, bearing in mind that children can feel acutely embarrassed by attention being drawn to the fact that they are in care and therefore in some way "different".

If the PEP meeting is organised to coincide with other reviews/meetings, for example, an annual review of a Statement of Special Educational Needs, or the drawing up of an Individual Education Plan (IEP), the social worker should agree with other participants in advance how responsibility for the meeting is to be shared. Where this is the case, a copy of the relevant document should be attached to the PEP.

A PEP must be based on accurate and up-to-date information. Everyone relevant should be consulted about both their views and their ability to contribute to the child’s educational progress, including asking the child for their views and to participate in the meeting .

Participants should aim to set goals which are ‘’SMART’’ (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely). Resources to be provided from within the school or from CLAESS or another source, should be clearly identified.

The PEP should set clear objectives and targets for the child, covering the following:

• Chronology of education and training history which provides a record of the child’s educational experience and progress in terms of National Curriculum levels of attainment, including information about educational institutions attended and the reasons for leaving, attendance and conduct record, academic and other achievements, any special educational needs, an indication of the extent to which the child’s education has been disrupted before entering care or accommodation;
• Existing arrangements for education and training, including details of any special educational provision and any other provision to meet the child’s educational or training needs and promote educational achievement;
• Any planned changes to existing arrangements and provision to minimise disruption;
• The child’s leisure interests;
• Role of the appropriate person and any other person who cares for the child in promoting the child’s educational achievements and leisure interests.

Recommendations from the planning meeting should go to the Looked After Review for approval - changes of school, increased expenditure, etc.

If the pupil is subject to a Statement of Special Educational Needs, any recommendations relating to school and the content of the statement must go via the annual review of the statement (which can be brought forward if necessary).

The social worker must also ensure that parents are involved in this planning and review process as far as is appropriate, and that copies of the child’s school reports are sent to the parents.

A PEP should be maintained as part of the preparation and review of the Pathway Plan and the duty also extends to children in custody who are subject to Care Orders and remain looked after.

Avoidance of Disruption in Education

The Nominated Officer must approve of any change of placement affecting a child in Key Stage 4, except in an emergency/where the placement is terminated because of an immediate risk of serious harm to the child or to protect others from serious injury.

In those circumstances, the Local Authority must make appropriate arrangements to promote the child’s educational achievement as soon as reasonably practicable.

• The child’s wishes and feelings have been ascertained and given due consideration;
• The wishes and feelings of the parent(s) have been ascertained where the child is accommodated (where possible) and where appropriate where the child is subject to a Care Order);
• The educational provision will promote educational achievement and is consistent with the PEP;
• The Independent Reviewing Officer has been consulted;
• The Designated Teacher at the child’s school has been consulted.

Other than in Key Stage 4, where the Local Authority proposes making any change to the child’s placement that would have the effect of disrupting the arrangements made for education and training, they must ensure that other arrangements are made for education or training that meet the child’s needs and are consistent with the PEP.

2. When a Child first becomes Looked After

Notification

Ideally, the young person’s educational status should be established and recorded at the Pre-Admission Meeting. This should state whether or not they are currently in school, what educational issues there may be, what support they are currently receiving and whether they have any special educational needs or are receiving any additional help under the provisions of the SEN Code of practice (School Action, School Action Plus or through a formal statement of Special Educational Needs). Before or as soon as a child becomes Looked After, the child’s social worker must notify the school the child attends. The notification will be initially by telephone and must then be confirmed in writing.

If the child is placed outside the borough, the authority into which the child is placed must also be notified.

The First Personal Education Plan - non-residential schools

In the case of a child who becomes looked after in a planned manner it is expected that a written Personal Education Plan will have been prepared prior to the child’s admission to care. In the event of a child becoming looked after in an emergency situation the relevant statutory guidance states that the first Personal Education Plan (PEP) should be in place within the first 14 days of a child becoming looked after.

In any event a PEP meeting must have taken place and a written PEP prepared in time for the initial Child Care Review.

A meeting must take place as soon as possible with the school, the carer and the social worker; and a member of the CLAESS and should involve the child as far as is appropriate and possible. The child may not feel able to participate in the meeting, in which case it is important for the child’s social worker to have talked with the child so that the child’s views, wishes and feelings can be conveyed to the meeting and be properly considered. The child’s social worker should always consider whether the child needs the support of an advocate - See Advocacy and Independent Visitors Procedure.

Where the child has no school place, the Pupils Services Section of the Local Authority should be alerted:

The meeting should be chaired by a member of CLAESS enabling the service to be alerted to any early interventions that are required to address learning or behavioural needs:

Its purpose is to draw up the first PEP.

The first PEP should:

• Identify the child’s immediate needs (e.g. to maintain the current school place, make transport arrangements, find a new school, obtain short-term interim education)
• Establish contact between carer, school or other education staff and social worker - the basis of a working partnership
• Establish boundaries of confidentiality
• Agree how and when the next (full) PEP is going to be drawn up.

The First Personal Education Plan - residential schools and educational placements

The first Personal Education Plan (PEP) should be in place within the first 20 days of a child coming in to care.

A meeting must take place as soon as possible with the education and residential staff and should involve the child as far as is appropriate and possible.

The first PEP should:

• Identify the child’s immediate needs (e.g. literacy and numeracy, behaviour management, assessment of ability and knowledge)
• Establish contact between education staff and social worker - the basis of a working partnership
• Agree how and when the next (full) PEP is going to be drawn up.

Second and subsequent PEP’s:

Second and subsequent PEP’s should correspond with the Looked After Review cycle and PEP decisions and recommendations must be available to chairs at reviews. PEPs should take place at least once every 6 months, or where there is a significant change in the child's circumstances such as a change of school or carer. The forms once completed should be uploaded onto Frameworki within 20 working days. Educational targets will be entered onto the Integrated Children's System (ICS) in line with the Department's procedures. CLAESS maintain a list of when PEPs are due and will alert social workers when the due date is approaching.

Provision of education for pupils with Statement of Special Educational Needs can be changed only by amending the statement at an annual review. See SEN code of practice - to follow.

3. When a Child Moves into a New Local Authority

If a child is placed out of the borough but continues to attend the same school as before becoming Looked After, the Procedure outlined in Section 2, When a Child First becomes Looked After.

If the child is to be placed out of the borough and will need a new school, efforts to obtain a school place should (unless it is an emergency placement) begin well before s/he moves to a new placement.

CLAESS should be involved in this process as they will often have local knowledge of schools through links with their counterparts in other authorities.

Whenever possible a child should not be moved to a new placement until s/he also has a school place.

Where the child does not have a school place - see Section 5, When a Child has No School Place.

Pupils With Statements of Special Educational Needs

The Special Education Needs section of the Local Education Authority or Children’s Services Department where the child lives (unless in residential accommodation) is responsible for the placement and provision for a pupil who has a statement of special educational needs.

Applications to schools are made by the Special Educational Needs Section of the local authority maintaining the statement. If the local authority where the child resides agrees to adopt a statement then it will need to be amended. This needs to be planned for as early as possible and before the child moves as it can cause long delays.

If a child with a statement is moving placement, the Special Needs section of the receiving authority will need to be contacted as they are responsible for approaching the school. Social workers and other in the network can express a preference for a school but do not apply to the school directly.

4. When a Child Needs or Joins a New School

Choosing and applying to a school place is primarily the social worker’s responsibility but may be delegated to or shared with others (e.g. the carer, CLAESS worker, a local education authority officer).

Notification

At least one member of staff in the school - the Designated Teacher for Looked After Children or the Head Teacher - must be informed that the child is a Looked After Child. Other members of staff should be identified at the Personal Education Plan (PEP) meeting, taking into account the child’s wishes concerning confidentiality.

Pupils With Statements of Special Educational Needs

A pupil who has a Statement of Special Educational Needs applies to schools through the special needs section of the local authority maintaining the statement, not directly. Similarly, a change of schools at any other time needs the agreement of the responsible local authority to approach the school and for the statement to be amended. This needs to be planned for as early as possible as it can cause long delays.

The social worker should ensure that he/she is aware of the current position of the statement and whether any additional support is provided and by whom.

The First PEP in a new school

The meeting should usually be chaired by a member of CLAESS.

A new or updated Personal Education Plan (PEP) should be in place within the first 20 school days of a child joining a new school. The PEP should be an information tool, which can be passed onto new schools if the child moves, to provide continuity in meeting their educational needs.

PEPs should be reviewed either each term or every 6 months depending on which year the child is in. For example, children in year 6 who are transferring to secondary school should always have a PEP in the Summer Term at which a Transition Plan will be drawn up. In year 7 at the child’s new school a PEP should be set up within the first term to review their progress and any difficulties that might have emerged in the transition PEP decisions and recommendations must be available to Reviewing Officers at statutory reviews.

The first PEP in a new school should:

• Identify the child’s immediate needs (e.g. English as an Additional Language, literacy support, behaviour management)
• Establish contact between carer, school staff and social worker - the basis of a working partnership
• Agree who contacts whom about what
• Establish boundaries of confidentiality
• Share important information - perhaps including the Placement Plan/Placement Information Record
• Ensure records are forwarded from previous school and/or carer
• Agree how and when the next full PEP is going to be drawn up (this needs to take account of the statutory review cycle because the PEP has to be ready before or at the Review; but also term dates, parents evenings, school target setting days, Individual Education Plan (IEP) Reviews, annual reviews of Statement of Special Educational Needs).

5. When a Child has No School Place

Finding a school place is primarily the social worker’s responsibility but may be delegated to or shared with others, namely CLAESS where there is an EWO with responsibility for monitoring attendance and who can assist in finding a school.

Looked After Children in need of a mainstream school place are usually entitled to preferential treatment for admissions but are not guaranteed the school of their choice if there are no places available.

Children without a school place are prioritised under schools' admission codes at transition points (e.g. moving from primary to secondary school) unless in reception, years 1 and 2 (Key Stage 1) as legislation prevents schools going over roll.

Children Placed Within the borough

Where the child does not have a school place because one cannot be found, or because mainstream school is not appropriate to their needs, the child’s social worker should notify Pupil Services Section and CLAESS.

The local authority should identify a school place within 20 school days at the latest; and should be asked to provide alternative education if a school place cannot be found immediately or is not appropriate.

Children Placed Outside the borough

Where the child does not have a school place because one cannot be found, or has been placed at very short notice, the child’s social worker should notify the schools admission section of the local authority in the area where the child is placed and request that a school be identified for the child as soon as possible. 

That local authority should identify suitable full-time education within 20 school days at the latest; and should be asked to provide alternative education if a school place cannot be found immediately or is not appropriate.

Pupils With Statements of Special Educational Needs

A pupil who has a statement of special needs applies to schools through the special needs section of the local authority maintaining the statement, not directly. It requires the agreement of that local authority to approach the school and for the statement to be amended. This needs to be planned for as early as possible as it can cause long delays.

6. Reviewing and Updating PEPS

Second and subsequent Personal Education Plans (PEP) should correspond with the Looked After Review cycle and must take place at least once every six mont but must also take account of the stage the child is in education and PEP decisions and recommendations must be available to Reviewing Officers at reviews.

Where a child is making the transition to Secondary School the PEP should include a transition plan making explicit any needs they may have for additional support.

The PEP form is specific to whatever year the child is in and will require schools to provide information on what National Curriculum level the child is currently working at and what targets they are working towards. Any additional resources they require should be identified together with the source of funding e.g. for 'catch-up' support. Where funding is being sought for tuition or CLIP (mentors employed by CLAESS who work with young people to engage them in learning) agreement must be in place beforehand.

Out of school hours learning (OSHL), study support and leisure interests should also be recorded.

An ongoing record of the child's attendance and achievements at the end of each Key Stage is attached to the PEP document.

Social workers should ensure that the actions and activities recorded in the PEP are acted on by working in a joined - up way with the other professionals involved. They should also aim to implement actions without unnecessary delay.

The PEP should evolve as part of the child's Care Plan and social workers should not take significant decisions about a child's education (e.g. changing school when there is a placement move) without reviewing the PEP.

Social workers should alert the Independent Reviewing Officer to any significant changes to the child's PEP.

Timing of the meeting - non-residential schools

The social worker will convene a meeting to review the PEP, timed to take place not more than four weeks before the child’s Looked After Reviews (or at the end of the Summer term, if the Review is due during the school holidays).

Timing of the meeting - residential schools and educational placements

If care and education are provided together it may be more appropriate to review and plan education and care at the same time. The meeting should still explicitly address educational needs and result in a PEP.

Preparation for the meeting

Preparation or consultation forms should be sent to all likely participants two weeks before the meeting. How best to consult with the child must be considered, and support or advocacy arranged if necessary.

The PEP meeting - arrangements

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

The meeting should usually be chaired and minuted by a member of CLAESS or the social worker.

If the PEP meeting is organised to coincide with (for example) an annual review of a statement or the drawing up of an Individual Education Plan (IEP), the social worker should agree with other participants in advance how responsibility for the meeting is to be shared and how best to structure the meeting.

The PEP meeting - purposes

Second and subsequent PEP meetings should:

• check that the previous PEP’s decisions and recommendations have been implemented
• acknowledge the successes achieved;
• address current concerns;
• consider whether additional resources are required to meet the child's assessed educational needs and who will provide these (e.g. home tuition or Saturday School which can be funded by CLAESS).
• Set targets which are sufficiently challenging and which will contribute to the child's educational. Effective and high quality PEPs should:
• be an achievement record
• be linked to information in other education plans e.g. IEP's
• be clear about developmental and educational needs
• set short term, challenging targets including progress monitoring
• set long term, challenging targets in relation to public exams and future plans
• progress and raising their attainment

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.

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) and/or to increases in Children’s Social Care expenditure (private tuition, a jointly-funded placement) should be made in the form of recommendations to the Looked After Review.

7. When a Child is Absent from School

The carer must notify the school and the social worker immediately if the child does not attend school for any reason.

In any case where the child has been absent from school for more than 5 days, the social worker should liaise with the school, the child, carers and others to address:

• the reasons for the absence
• how to ensure the child returns to education as soon as possible
• whether and how the child can be helped to catch up on what s/he has missed.

CLAESS have commissioned the services of Welfare Call Ltd who are responsible for contacting each child's school each day and alerting the carer and CLAESS where there is an absence recorded. Appropriate follow-up action can then be taken by the carer, social worker, CLAESS or other agencies as required.

8. School Exclusions

NB Where a looked after child is excluded from school, the child’s social worker must inform the child’s Independent Reviewing Officer.

Where a child is excluded from school for a fixed period, the school will provide work for the child. The social worker must liaise with the carer about suitable arrangements for supervising the child's doing the schoolwork during the day. Although legally parents/carers are expected to be responsible for the child for the first five days of an exclusion there is provision for Wandsworth looked after children on roll at mainstream secondary schools locally or in neighbouring boroughs, to attend the Exclusion Centre, based at Southfields School from day one of an exclusion. This arrangement is managed by CLAESS who should be contacted by the carer or social worker once the school has notified them.

The reasons for the exclusion will be communicated by the school to the carer and the social worker. Whoever is the most appropriate one to do so will discuss this with the child. The social worker should inform the parents.

The Social Worker must seek advice as to whether to appeal - a permanent exclusion should always be appealed unless there are clear reasons not to.

When a child is permanently excluded but is remaining in the same foster or residential placement, the social worker will liaise urgently with the LEA in which the child is living to find an alternative school placement within the statutory time frame.

9. When a young person is on roll at a Pupil Referral Unit

Most Pupil Referral Units (PRU's) work with young people who are either:

1. permanently excluded from school
2. not engaging or attending school - and for whom the school has approached the PRU for support in dual registering the young person for a period of time with the aim of re-integrating them into school if possible (not all PRU's offer dual registration).

PRU's, unlike schools, do not generally work across authorities and are only responsible for young people whilst they are either resident in the borough or on roll at a school in the borough. For some looked after young people if they move out of the borough where they attend a PRU their place may be terminated unless alternative funding can be provided. It is therefore worth considering in this event whether another placement can be found locally to enable the young person to remain at the PRU (especially if they are in year 11).

10. Support within Residential Placements

It is important that young people have an available space to complete homework, where they are not likely to be disturbed. This could be their bedroom, or the education room in the unit. The education worker will ensure a member of staff is available to assist and monitor homework, sign homework diaries, as necessary. Computers and other learning materials, such as books, educational software should be available for the young people to access freely. The education worker will maintain resources in conjunction with CLAESS. All young people should have access to a computer, provided by the CLAESS. The education worker will monitor this, report any breakdowns and undertake training as required. It may be helpful to set homework groups or “catch-up” sessions in conjunction with CLAESS or to approach the school to see what is available there. Homework can sometimes be done in local libraries.

All young people should be offered a range of activities to support their educational achievement. These could include visits to galleries, exhibitions and museums and could be undertaken with individuals or groups. The education worker and other team members could explore options with young people.

Staff should also encourage young people to join and make use of their local library. Many offer reading groups, homework clubs, and computer use and holiday activities.

11. When a Young Woman becomes Pregnant

Becoming pregnant is not in itself a reason to stop attending school, nor to cease education.

Where a young woman becomes pregnant, the social worker must ensure that the young woman remains in education if at all possible and arrange for her to receive support from LEA in which she lives and/or the LEA of the school she attends.

End