Management Information Sheet

This MI sheet provides information on plans to extend Norfolk's electronic Personal Education Plan to include Early Years and Key Stage 5 PEPs.

Since March 2016 all records of PEP meetings for Norfolk statutory school-aged looked after children have been recorded on an electronic web-based system, hosted by a company called Welfare Call, commissioned by the Virtual School for Children in Care. Welfare Call also administer the LAC attendance monitoring contract.

From January 2017 the system will be extended to include all Early Years and Key Stage 5 PEPs, which are currently in a paper format as follows:-

• looked after children (2 - 5 years old) who attend early years settings, including childminders
• Key Stage 5 looked after children still in education and attending Sixth Form Colleges or FE institutions.

Essential User Training will be provided in January 2017.

Why are PEPs changing?

PEPs identify looked after children's educational needs and promote and raise expectations and aspirations for their outcomes. Recent internal audits and OFSTED inspections have shown that Norfolk PEPs were not of a sufficiently high quality. The implementation of the statutory school age ePEP has already seen improvements in quality; the introduction of an ePEP covering all age ranges should address this by increasing consistency, accessibility and forward planning as well as assisting with monitoring and quality assurance of information.

What are the advantages of the ePEP?

• Ambitious educational aspirations and interventions can be put in place for all Norfolk's looked after children, including the youngest
• All age range PEPs will be hosted in one place, enabling users to access a child's full education history and aid smoother transitions between schools
• Additional documents can be uploaded to support the PEP, so it can be personalised
• Templates can be readily updated to keep abreast of statutory and local requirements
• 100% completion can be achieved, due to monitoring, prompts and management information within the system
• PEPs can be evaluated, quality monitored and followed up, and with support and training, improved to reflect smart and ambitious targets and objectives
• Schools and settings can use the information to evidence how they are supporting their looked after children and using the pupil premium effectively
• Designated Staff will be able to access all PEPs relating to children and young people who are on roll at their school/setting. If a new child joins the school, the Designated Teacher will have access to the PEP as soon as Welfare Call are notified they are on roll.

What are the plans for the roll-out?

• Key Stage 5 ePEP - Essential User Training has been offered to key staff in 6th form colleges, schools, FE institutions and social care in January 2017, see dates below:-

  Date	Time	Venue	Address
  11th January 2017	2.30pm to 4.30pm	Green Britain Centre	Turbine Way, Swaffham PE37 7HT
  12th January 2017	11.00am to 1.00pm	Woodside Centre	Witard Road, Norwich NR7 9XD

• Users will be supplied with log-ins and passwords to access the systems and view PEPs for their Norfolk looked after children cohort. Both Welfare Call and Virtual School staff will be available on the phone to provide user support as required.
• It is essential that the Virtual School are notified promptly of staff changes so the appropriate access can be maintained
• Early Years ePEP - LAC Advisers will be contacting early years settings with looked after children to provide support with the eEYPEP system and process in due course. Training will be provided to ensure plans are of a high quality and to explore potential issues around looked after children's learning and development. Further information will be available in the Early Years newsletter in due course.
• From January 2017 all PEPs should be recorded using the electronic system.

Ongoing support

To support Designated Teachers and Social Workers in producing high quality and ambitious educational plans which meet the needs of individual looked after children, the Virtual School for Children in Care is also delivering a programme of workshops 'Producing Quality Personal Education Plans - a workshop and forum'. Full details are available at www.educatorsolutions.org.uk

For any general queries and further information please contact Keeley White, Virtual School Head, email keeley.white@norfolk.gov.uk or Wendy Rudd, Virtual School Development Manager, email wendy.rudd@norfolk.gov.uk