Personal Education Plans

1. Introduction

Calderdale Council as a Corporate Parent is committed to ensuring that all Children Looked After have access to the education to which they are entitled and that they are encouraged and supported to achieve their learning potential. In exercising this role, the council is committed to do "all that a good parent would" to enhance the life chances of Children Looked After.

Effective information sharing and communication is essential at the point of entry to care, to be able to support the child. Discussion should be about any necessary practical arrangements to ensure continuity of educational placement.

2. Procedure

When a child becomes Looked After (or earlier), the social worker should immediately inform both the school (preferably the designated teacher for CLA) and the Virtual School.

There is a statutory requirement for every Child Looked After of compulsory school age to have a Personal Education Plan (PEP), which ensures access to services and support. It is good practice to complete a PEP for younger children in pre-school provision e.g. nursery, children centre. The PEP can also be used to support the Pathway Plan for those young people who are post 16.

In Calderdale, once the Virtual School have received notification of a child becoming/due to be Looked After, the Virtual School are responsible for initiating the PEP and leading on the co-ordination of the meeting.

The PEP highlights the importance attached to the child's education by all involved in corporate parenting and is integral to the care planning process.

The PEP meeting should be arranged to meet statutory timescales. The PEP should be initiated as part of the Care Plan before a child becomes Looked After, or within 10 working days in the case of an emergency and should be available for the first Looked After Review.

The designated teacher, social worker, and carer must be available to attend the PEP. The child should be invited to attend.

The designated teacher will take responsibility for the management of the PEP in school once completed. Their role will be to monitor the progress of the child throughout the academic year, and liaise regularly with Virtual School staff, the social worker and carers.

The Virtual School will be responsible for chairing the PEP meeting and ensuring the completed PEP documentation is distributed to all parties, and a copy forwarded to the Senior Independent Reviewing Officer.

The Virtual School holds a central database of PEPs to monitor timescales for completion and review.

PEPs should be reviewed on an annual basis through a meeting in school. However, the PEP will also be reviewed at six months, through:

1. The Virtual School requesting a review of individual pupil targets through liaison with the designated teacher;
2. The Independent Reviewing Officer ensuring that PEPs are monitored at statutory Looked After Reviews.

Data will be collected from schools by the Virtual School twice a year to monitor academic progress and challenge/ intervene as appropriate.

A new PEP should be initiated:

• If there is a change in care placement;
• If there is a change in school placement.