Management Information Sheet

This MI sheet communicates some key changes to the construction, approach and content of Personal Education Plans for all Norfolk Children in Care. From spring term 2016 there will be a planned roll out of a new electronic Personal Education Plan which will over time replace the existing hard copy document for all statutory age children.

The MI sheet further details the reasons for the change and the planned timeline for implementation.

Why are we changing the PEPs?

An internal audit of the quality of Norfolk Personal Education Plans was undertaken in April 2015. The audit looked at a number of PEPs across all seven districts in the county and outcomes of this audit recognised that too many PEPs are not accurately capturing the child's education journey. Furthermore many contain outdated information and lack the child's voice. The audit made a number of recommendations which will be supported by the introduction of an electronic system of Personal Education Plans, known as ePEPs.

In July 2015 the LA inspection of services for children in need of help and protection, children looked after and care leavers identified that 'education plans are poor and do not identify how children will get the best possible chance to achieve at school'.

'The quality of the vast majority of personal education plans (PEPs) is also poor. Information about attainment history is missing and targets are not specific or challenging enough. Children's and young people's views are not always evident. This suggests that PEPs are not used effectively to plan and evaluate support for children's education and to promote and raise children's aspirations. The local authority's own audit of PEPs (May 2015) identified a number of areas in which it is not meeting its statutory duties in this respect. ' OFSTED July 2016

What are we doing?

From January 2016 we will roll out an electronic version of the PEP called an ePEP.

The requirement for a Personal Education Plan (PEP) is confirmed in the Children's Act 1989 [regulation 5(b)(ii)] and forms part of the overarching care plan. The statutory guidance 'Promoting the education of looked after children' (July 2014) details the content and timescales for completion. The PEP (pre-school to age 18) is an 'evolving record of what needs to happen for looked after children to make expected progress and fulfil their potential'. It should be a living document and is led by the Social Worker, supported by the Virtual School which quality assures. The designated teacher has a lead role in developing the PEP to ensure progress in education is monitored.

In Norfolk, the PEP's are currently paper based documents although there is widespread support for an electronic process which will increase consistency and security of data. It will also ensure information is readily accessible and make the monitoring and quality assurance of information more streamlined, assisting with the transfer of information as personnel and settings change.

During the summer term 2015 a range of products were considered and advice taken from regional colleagues who are using ePEPs and as a result we have chosen to adopt the Welfare Call ePEP. We currently have a contract with Welfare Call for monitoring attendance and exclusions of Children in Care. They have a template which is adaptable to meet our local needs and they currently work with a number of other Local Authorities who are using their ePEPs.

What are the benefits of an ePEP?

The benefits of an ePEP are that:

• The quality can and must be improved to reflect sharp and ambitious educational targets and objectives;
• Templates are readily updated and will keep abreast of statutory and local requirements;
• PEPs will be easy to collate, monitor and evaluate (inadequate PEPs will be followed up by the Virtual school in a timely fashion)
• Additional documents can be uploaded to support the PEP - so they can be personalised;
• We can achieve 100% completion (as other LAs do that use an ePEP) as the timeliness will be closely monitored and schools and social workers will be prompted.

How will we go about this?

The development, rollout and quality assurance of ePEPs will be co-ordinated by the Norfolk Virtual School for Children in Care - in partnership with key stakeholders.

A project team has been working on the templates and these will be trialled as from spring term 2016. Training will be offered to schools and social care teams prior to the roll out and a detailed timeline of the rollout will be published to schools. This will make clear when your school will be involved, and which target groups of children in care will be affected.

Priority for the rollout will be given to new pupils of statutory school age and then to existing pupils transferring to an ePEP. In order to improve rapidly the quality of PEPS through an ePEP model we will consult, collect and collate to feedback to improve the process as we roll it out. This feedback will shape the continued development of the ePEP

There will be an ongoing audit process and all ePEPs will be held not only by the social workers and schools but also the Virtual School for Children in Care.

What can you do to improve the quality of PEPs now?

We cannot wait for the rollout of a new model to address the weakness in our PEPs. Schools have an opportunity to ensure that PEPs reflect the best practice possible. It may be useful for your Designated Teacher to review the quality of your in school PEPs. We would ask that you prioritise ensuring that the voice of the child is properly and appropriately reflected in the PEP and that as far as possible that it is a comprehensive and enduring record of the child's experience, progress and achievement (academic and otherwise). The PEP should be able to inform any discussion about education during the statutory review of the child's wider care plan. Targets should be SMART in both the short term and should also include evidence of longer term planning for education outcomes for the child. Many schools have requested Pupil Premium Plus funding and have given the Virtual School plans for how this funding is to be used. This should be built into the PEP and should be related clearly to the targets agreed for the child's academic achievement.

Actions to note:

• Headteachers should note future guidance, timeline and training for ePEPs will be provided in December 2015;
• Designated Teachers and Designated Governors are encouraged to review the quality of existing PEPs and make recommendations to the Headteacher for improvements as recommended above in forthcoming PEP meetings.

For further information and queries please contact Keeley White (Head of Virtual Schools for Children in Care) keeley.white@norfolk.gov.uk or Wendy Rudd (Virtual School Development Manager) wendy.rudd@norfolk.gov.uk.