Personal Education Plans

Personal Education Plans

Information on Personal Education Plans (PEPs) and Pupil Premium

Who needs a PEP

All children in care need a PEP from when they attend pre-school to the age of 18.  The PEP is reviewed regularly and forms part of the child’s care plan.

How a PEP works

The child’s social worker begins the process by contacting the school to organise a PEP meeting.

The meeting is attended by the social worker, designated teacher for children in care, sometimes other school staff, the carer and possibly parent, and often the child if it’s considered a good idea.

Staff from The HOPE Virtual School  attend if possible. Other professionals may be invited as appropriate.

The meetings are an opportunity for the professionals involved with the child to find out more about how the child is doing at school and how their pupil premium funding is being spent, and for teachers to hear about things happening outside school that are relevant to the child’s education. The views of the child are also important.

Meetings are held:

  • within 28 calendar days of a child first coming into care
  • within three months after the first PEP
  • then every six months

Personal Education Plan forms

Bristol has separate PEP forms for Early Years, primary, secondary and post-16 phases.

Early Years and Foundation stage

The Early Years and Foundation Stage forms are on our Pre-school and Foundation Stage PEP page.

Primary and secondary 

If the young person is unable to go to the meeting, a member of staff, or key worker, should go through the form with the young person before the meeting so their views are represented.

Unless the child is named as ‘Confidential’ on the CLA Tracker, the completed PEP should be uploaded to the CLA Tracker. For any young person named as Confidential please email the completed form to the hope@bristol.gov.uk

For information on using the CLA Tracker download our CLA Tracker Access Guide (pdf, 2.1MB) (opens new window) (pdf, 2.1MB) (opens new window) .

Post 16 

The PEP planning process for children in care and care leavers post 16 is set out in this process flowchart (pdf, 106KB) (opens new window) . 

Post 16 Personal Education Plan form January 2017 (word doc, 67k)

Post 16 Personal Education Plan descriptors (pdf, 108KB) (opens new window)

If the young person is unable to go to the meeting, a member of staff, or key worker, should go through the form with the young person before the meeting so their views are represented.

The completed PEP should be uploaded to the CLA Tracker.

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

There are also two PEP forms for children with complex special educational needs and disabilities:

If the young person is unable to go to the meeting, a member of staff, or key worker, should go through the form with the young person before the meeting so their views are represented.

The completed PEP should be uploaded to the CLA Tracker.

For information on using the CLA Tracker download our CLA Tracker Access Guide (pdf, 2.1MB) (opens new window) (pdf, 2.1MB) (opens new window) .

For social workers or designated teachers

The February 2018 statutory guidance from the DfE: The designated teacher for looked after children and previously looked after children explains the role of the social worker and designated teachers in initiating the PEP and of the designated teacher in developing and implementing the PEP in school.
Designated teachers are also responsible for the quality of PEPs in their school.

Questions for social workers to ask at PEP meetings (pdf, 24KB) (opens new window)  

Personal Education Plan quality monitoring

Staff at The HOPE Virtual School will be monitoring PEP forms on a regular basis using The HOPE primary and secondary PEP descriptors document (pdf, 108KB) (opens new window) .

See above for the post 16 PEP descriptors document.

The completed monitoring form will be emailed to the designated teacher or tutor to provide feedback.

LAC Pupil Premium Grant

Children and young people in care from Reception to Year 11 are eligible for LAC Pupil Premium funding from the first day they come into care.

Example PEP forms

You can look at example PEP forms below. 

The forms have been completed as good examples but do not relate to real young people.

Downloadable files