In St Helens we complete a Personal Education Plan every term for all children from the age of two, or earlier than that if they already attend an educational setting.
The PEP is:
a record of a child's educational needs.
a personalised plan to meet the child's educational needs, raise aspirations and improve their life chances.
a live and evolving document that shows how professionals are working (and plan to work) with the child to ensure their progress towards fulfilling their potential.
For a child with SEND who has an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP), the PEP should complement (but not duplicate or replace) the EHCP
Roles and Responsibilities
According to statutory guidance, it is the shared responsibility of several partners to produce and monitor the Personal Education Plan. The key question 'Would this be good enough for my child?' is a central one in making decisions and evaluating the effectiveness of the Personal Education Plan. The roles and responsibilities of these partners are outlined below.
Virtual School
(VS)
Has a statutory responsibility to ensure the quality of PEPs and oversee the spending of Pupil Premium Plus funds (PP+).
The VS will quality assure the PEPs before the PP+ funds are given to schools.
PEP Coordinators will monitor the progress of Children We Look After and work together to ensure that PEPs are fit for purpose reflecting young person's needs.
The VS Headteacher shares with the VS Team the progress of the Children We Look After and the quality of their PEPs
Designated Teacher
(DT)
The Designated Teacher MUST be a qualified teacher, but access to the PEPs can be delegated to a number of staff such as a pastoral lead, SENCO, class teacher or DSL. However, the overall responsibility to sign off the PEP is with the Designated Teacher.
The DT:
Ensures the PEP is kept updated.
Ensures colleagues have the information and understanding about the child's needs to provide an education that supports, inspires and challenges them.
Shares the termly progress and current attainment data through the PEP.
Provides evidence of the impact of interventions funded through Pupil Premium Plus recorded in the child's PEP.
Ensures that the PEP is a robust, live and personalised document that reflects the child's needs and the school's plan for meeting those needs.
Has detailed knowledge of the child and the school
Will need to complete the PEP through Welfare Call and submit the form before the due date.
Will be held accountable to provide evidence of the effective and efficient use of Pupil Premium Plus.
Social Worker
(SW)
The allocated Social Worker MUST initiate and ensure the PEP meeting takes place within 20 days of a child coming into care. They MUST arrange the termly PEP meeting liaising with the DT and parents/carers.
The SW should inform the VS of the date of the PEP meeting by inserting a date into the PEP on Welfare Call.
During the PEP, the SW should:
add to the discussions about the child's needs and agree actions needed to reduce barriers to learning.
agree targets for the term.
discuss how PP+ will be spent to support the child.
After the PEP is completed, SW must ensure the PEP is sent to carers and is added to the child's record on ICS.
All PEPs are managed through Welfare Call (Welfare Cloud). The Welfare Call system allows both SWs and DTs to set meeting dates and review previous PEPs. Visit Welfare Call EPEP Website
PEP Completion dates for 24/25:
Autumn 2025
7th November 2025
Spring 2026
27th February 2026
Summer 2026
4th June 2026
If you have any questions or require further support about PEPs please get in touch with us via the Virtual School email address:
