Electronic Personal Education Plan completion guidance
Introduction
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A Personal Education Plan (PEP) is a statutory requirement for every child or young person who enters the care of a Local Authority (CIOC) from the academic year of their 3rd birthday (if they are accessing provision) up to their 18th birthday and through to the end of year 13 (the education year in which they become 18). A PEP is the process of assessing the appropriateness and quality of educational provision in accelerating the progress of a Child/Young Person (C/YP) to close any gaps in their development or attainment, forming an integral part of their Care Planning Cycle.
The PEP is an evolving record of what needs to happen for Children in our Care to enable them to make at least expected progress and fulfil their potential. The PEP should reflect the importance of a personalised approach to learning that meets the child's identified educational and developmental needs, raises aspirations and maximises life chances. It is also used to provide key performance indicators which monitor the attendance, attainment, curriculum offer and the well-being needs of C/YP in our Care, as they progress through their education.
It is a statutory requirement for a PEP to be initiated within 20 working days of a C/YP entering care with an initial version being available for the 20 working-day review of the care plan. Also a new PEP must completed within 10 working days after any significant change in provision; for example, a change of education setting.
The PEP is reviewed once every school term for those in statutory and early years or nursery settings, at regular termly intervals. The Virtual School has determined three final dates each term when a PEP meeting must have taken place and the PEP document completed and uploaded onto the Welfare Call system for quality assurance.
The dates for 2025/2026 are:
- Autumn: 28 November 2025
- Spring: 20 March 2026
- Summer: 27 June 2026
The Virtual School quality assures all PEPs and uses the information contained within the plan to provide advice, support and challenge to schools on behalf of the Local Authority as Corporate Parent.
Welfare Call (WC) - is the provider of a secure, electronic, web-based system, commissioned by Gateshead Virtual School. It is the system we use to compile and analyse information before, during and after Personal Education Planning (PEP) meetings.
Gateshead Virtual School have three versions of the ePEP on the Welfare Call system:
- Early Years PEP - for children who are accessing an early years setting on a part or full-time basis in the two years prior to entering statutory school known as : N-2 2 and 3 year olds N-1 3 and 4 year olds
- Statutory School Age PEP - for those C/YP in Reception to Year 11 4
- Post 16 PEP - for young people in Year 12 and 13 whether they are in Education, Employment or Training (EET), or are currently seeking Education, Employment or Training (SEET).
Information contained in this guidance has been designed to help all Designated Teachers/Leads to access and effectively complete a high quality PEP on the Welfare Call system.
Please do not hesitate to contact the Virtual School Caseworker attached to your school, college or provision for any further information or queries in relation to the content of this document. Likewise, we are here to help with any support or training you may require, particularly for those who are new to the role of Designated Teacher/Lead.
1. Your account
When a provision admits a new CIOC, or when an existing C/YP enters our care, contact with the Virtual School Caseworker (VSC) assigned to your provision should be made at the earliest possible opportunity to enable their details to be uploaded onto the Welfare Call system.
If this is the first C/YP in your provision or you are new to the role of DT/DL, you will receive an email confiming your login details from Welfare Call, once we have been notified of any change, or when we receive notification of a new CIOC in your provision. This will be accompanied by a welcome letter which provides details on how you access the system. Existing Designated Lead's have been supplied with log in details for Welfare Call, enabling them to access this secure website.
Please note: you will only have received log in details if you have, or previously had, a CIOC attending your provision.
All Children in our Care assigned to you will appear on your ePEP home page when you log into the system. CIOC from other local authority areas attending your school will also appear on your homepage, if the home authority of the child has also commissioned Welfare Call to deliver their ePEPs. Please alert the Virtual School if you have a child/young person who is not showing on your list.
The Virtual School Caseworker assigned to your setting is available to provide support and training to all new staff on the use of the ePEP system and also to provide ongoing support for existing designated staff.
2. Access for delegated users
It is acknowledged that in schools with large numbers of CIOC, additional staff may be responsible for inputting information for key children they have specifically assigned to them.
Please note: this facility is only available for additional members of staff within your school/provision, or for a student social worker, if applicable.
- The delegated user must have the same school/college/nursery/authority email domain as the user requesting i.e. @hogwarts.schools.gov.uk
- Access can be restricted to certain children and young people or certain sections of the PEP
- Only the Designated Lead can allocate a Delegated User, the Virtual School cannot set this up on your behalf.
- It is the Designated Lead who retains accountability for the quality of the information inputted by staff within the school, college or provision, ensuring they maintain the list of delegated users and check the quality and timing of their submissions.
- All communication from the Virtual School will continue to be directed to the Designated Teacher/Lead.
To add any additional users to the system, first discuss with the VS Caseworker for your school/provision. Once this has been agreed, please follow the instructions below:
EPEP > DT/SW Delegation > enter name and email address of the new user > Request set up
Separate log in and passwords will be allocated by email from Welfare Call to the new user and the identified C/YP will be seen when they access their ePEP homepage.
3. Support and assistance with the system
Should you have any problems accessing your account, or difficulties in inputting or saving information, please contact the Welfare Call Support Helpline directly.
Welfare call support helpline: 01226 716333 or [email protected]
Alternatively, you can use the Mail messages section on the Mail button - Welfare Call for any queries or difficulties you have which are not linked to sign in problems. This can be accessed via the extranet https://extranet.welfarecall.com.
In the event of your query not being resolved by Welfare Call, or if it is in relation to more general advice around the content or process of a PEP, please contact the Virtual School Caseworker assigned to your school. To find the Virtual School Caseworker for your provision, please contact [email protected].
4. Information updates
Please keep the Virtual School informed of any changes that you become aware of, such as change of:
- Social Worker
- Designated Teacher/Provision Designated Lead
- Carer
- Placement
- Contact Details
- Potential School Move
This will prevent any delays in completing the PEP and setting up accounts.
5. Accessing an individuals ePEP
Once you have logged onto the system you will find the full list of C/YP in your provision under the dark blue menu banner:
EPEP (5), the number 5 refers to the number of CIOC in your Provision > My Case Summary
This will show all your CYP with basic level details regarding other professionals linked to the young person, there is also a link that will take you directly to the PEP document:
GoTo (Child's Name) PEP
The status of the CYP in your case load will appear across 3 columns:
- Overdue PEPs PEP meetings which have taken place and are awaiting completion, sign off or QA
- No PEP dates indicates an initial PEP meeting where the date has not yet been set, or when the date of the next PEP was not agreed at the previous meeting
- Upcoming PEPs these are upcoming dates which have been set and agreed at the last PEP meeting
6. Completing an ePEP
Once you have accessed the individual C/YP's PEP document, one of three colours will be shown across the tab headings on the main menu bar to highlight which user is responsible for ensuring completion of each section of the PEP document.
These TABS are coloured RED for the Designated Teacher/Lead, BLUE for the Social Worker and PURPLE for joint responsibility.
In addition, there is a BLACK tab which contains the quality assurance and Feedback on the PEP which is completed by a member of staff from the Virtual School.
Clicking into any of these tabs will load individual sections of the PEP.
The initial PEP may take some time to fully complete, however, much of the information will then be retained from PEP to PEP.
Second and subsequent PEPs only require updated information to be inputted, for example; pastoral updates, assessment and progress data, PEP meeting record and the setting of SMART targets.
Further information on the completion of individual tabs within the ePEP follows in Section 2 of this guidance.
Note: once you have completed all information required in the PEP you must click the red button at the top of the page to alert the Virtual School Caseworker that the PEP is ready for quality assurance and sign off.
7. Pre-populated fields
Individual questions which have a GREY background are pre-populated with information provided to Welfare Call via regular updates from the Virtual School.
Once the first ePEP has been completed, around 80% of the information will be pre-populated through to the next termly PEP. The remaining fields contain new information for each PEP, for example; pupil voice, data, targets, etc.
This is designed to make the completion of PEPs easier and less time consuming, however, the information within the pre-populated fields MUST BE CHECKED for accuracy. If anything within a GREY field is inaccurate, please ensure the Virtual School Caseworker is informed by email, so that they are able to keep the records provided to Welfare Call up to date.
8. Mandatory fields
Throughout the document there are certain questions which have an ORANGE background, these questions are mandatory and must be completed for every PEP.
If information is not entered in these mandatory question boxes, the system will not allow the ePEP to be signed off as completed. A message will be shown above the sign off box indicating which fields are incomplete.
9. Setting the next termly PEP date
At each PEP meeting a new date, time and venue for the next termly meeting should be agreed by all present and entered at the bottom of the PEP Meeting Record.
The system will then ensure the new date is ready for the next meeting. It is good practice to ensure PEP meetings are held at roughly the same time in each of the three terms. Therefore, if a PEP meeting is held within the third week of the Autumn term, the Spring Term meeting should also be held three weeks into the term.
Based on the date entered, you will receive notifications reminding you of the upcoming PEP. If for any reason the planned date needs to be changed, please agree this with all stakeholders and change this at the top of the C/YP's PEP record.
Please do NOT set dates for a PEP beyond the final completion dates for each term (See page 1), or longer than 6 months from the previous meeting for Post 16 young people.
10. Saving information in the ePEP
You MUST ensure you save the information you have entered before you leave each Tab, there is no AUTOSAVE on this system. There is a blue SAVE button at the top and bottom of each page. In addition, when you leave the Tab to move to another, you will be given a prompt to ensure you save your input.
It is therefore advisable to save your work at regular intervals as you go along. We all get distractions along the way and if the system does not detect any navigation or input for a period of 40 minutes, it will time you out.
At 30 minutes a small green box will appear in the bottom right of your screen which will count down for 10 minutes. Should this appear, PLEASE SAVE your page at this point to reset the timer to ensure no work is lost.
If your PEP timer does run out YOU MUST STILL CLICK SAVE before logging back in.
Although the system will have timed you out, it will remember your work, and a quick call to WC Support Team will be needed to retrieve this.
11. Quality assurance of the ePEP
Once you have completed the PEP, using the DT: Click when Completed button, the system will send a notification to the Virtual School to alert them that all sections are complete.
On receipt of this notification the Virtual School will quality assure the document and give a rating of RED, AMBER or GREEN, based on the quality of information within the PEP. The Quality Assurance Framework used by the Virtual School to assess the quality of a PEP is outlined in a separate document which can be found in the Child Menu options - documents section of the PEP and is sent out annually to all Designated Teachers. The Rating and date of the quality assurance for the previous PEP can readily be found in the box on the left hand side of the home page.
- If a GREEN rating has been given it indicates an effective plan which will ensure good outcomes for the C/YP and all information has been completed.
- If the PEP has been rated AMBER you will receive feedback in the BLACK Quality Assurance Tab at the end of the document identifying what is missing or what needs to be considered to improve the next PEP.
- If the PEP is marked RED, feedback given will need to be fully completed before the virtual school can sign off the PEP.
- The VS Caseworker will contact you directly when a PEP has been rated as RED to offer further support in ensuring the PEP is effective and is of a high enough quality to ensure improvement to outcomes for the C/YP.
12. Storing and printing the ePEP
Once fully completed and quality assured, the system will store two printable versions of the PEP document in a 'Word' format. These can be found by selecting the drop down 'Child Menu Options' and choosing 'Previous PEPs'.
- Full PEP - is the full version of the document including the Quality Assurance Rating and Feedback comments
- My Personal Education Plan Summary - is for schools/provisions who wish to print out a summary of the PEP for distribution to parents/carers and professionals, without the QA feedback comments.
The completed PEP forms part of the C/YP's Care Plan.
A printable word version of the ePEP can also be accessed from this section at any stage of the process from the 'Download Options' menu. This allowsindividual TABS, i.e. PEP Meeting Record; blank ePEP formsi.e. Child Voice; and completed ePEPs awaiting QA, to be printed out at any time.
13. Uploading documents into the PEP
There is a facility for uploading documents into the ePEP using the 'Child Menu Options' button (see 12 above) and selecting the documents option. This can be used for uploading a range of documents which will support the ePEP, for example:
- Plans i.e. EHCP, SEN Support Plans, Behaviour Support Plans
- Reports i.e. termly school report
- Non standard attainment and progress tracking documents
- Additional child view information i.e. photo's/certificates of achievement
- Attendance certificates or reviews
These documents can be uploaded using the Browse facility for files stored on your own computer drive. There is also an option within this facility for selecting who can view the document i.e. DT and Virtual School, VS and SW or All Users.
Confidential items should not be uploaded.
14. Initiating, developing and reviewing the PEP
Wherever a C/YP enters care, the Designated Lead, supported by the Social Worker, should take the lead to:
- initiate the first PEP within 20 working days of the date they entered care (where a cared for C/YP is without a school/Post 16 provision, this will be initiated by the Virtual School supported by the Social Worker). Please note: this is 20 working days, not school/college days, and therefore does not take into account school holidays
- ensure that when a C/YP is moved to a different provision, the PEP is initiated within 20 working days of the change in circumstance If either of the above occurs during a long school holiday i.e. Summer, Christmas or Easter break, then the virtual school caseworker, supported by the social worker, will initiate an interim PEP until school reopens
- ensure that the PEP contains a summary of the C/YP's current attainment and progress (including any additional needs such as SEN and emotional/mental health)
- ensure the PEP is effective and is available for the first statutory review meeting of the care plan
- ensure the PEP gives details of who will take the plan forward and specifies timescales for action and review
Once the PEP has been initiated, the Designated Teacher/Lead will liaise with the C/YP's social worker to facilitate its completion and agree how pupil premium plus (PP+) can most effectively be used to facilitate the C/YP's educational attainment and progress, where this is relevant.
15. PEP content
The PEP covers the full range of education and development needs separated into individual 'Tabs'. All three ePEPs for Early Years (EY), Statutory School Age (SSA) and Post 16 (P16), have the same core information Tabs, with content which will transfer with the C/YP as they progress through each phase of their education.
Additional tabs are automatically generated on the PEP depending on age, phase or specific content relating to the C/YP's individual circumstance. For example; certain Tabs will only appear for a C/YP who is approaching a planned transition to the next phase of their education, e.g. KS3 to KS4, other tabs will only be selected if the young person is Seeking Education, Employment or Training or when an alternative timetable or alternative education provider is engaged.
Once a tab is opened it contains questions for that particular section under 'Blue Banner' headings. These questions are formatted using either:
- multiple choice
- drop down choice list
- standard data table
- date box
- free text
In addition, certain questions contain a table which could contain several of the above.
16. Core tabs in all PEPs
General and personal
This tab must be completed prior to the termly PEP meeting.
This is always the first tab on every PEP and is coloured BLUE to be completed in full by the CYP's Social Worker. It contains detailed information under the following blue banner headings:
| Essential pupil information | Name, DOB., gender, ethnicity and language, UPN and Social Care ID |
|---|---|
| Care information | Placement details, care status, date into care, number of placements, care plan, etc. |
| Contact information | Contact details of social worker and main carer,person(s) with parental responsibility and safeguarding information relating to who has day-to-day permissions and liaison with school |
| Health information | Any specific health conditions or medication needs of the CYP which will potentially have an impact upon the school, college or provision |
| Strengths and difficulties questionnaire | This section is included in the SSA and P16 PEPs only, and scores should be entered once the SDQ has been completed. A higher than average score (over 17) should include any advice or strategies for school/provision staff which may help them to support the Young Person with their emotional health and wellbeing |
| Current support from other agencies | Please include current engagement details and expected outcomes/impact |
Education provision or setting information
This TAB must be completed prior to the termly PEP meeting.
This is always the second Tab in the menu and is coloured RED for Early Years Provision, Primary, Secondary and Special schools and Post 16 school or college provision, as it is always completed by the Designated Teacher/Lead in the Nursery, School or College the C/YP attends. Please note:
- If a statutory school age child is not on a school roll, this Tab should be completed by the Social Worker and the Virtual School Caseworker
- For Post 16 young people in Employment or currently Seeking EET, this section will be completed by the Social Worker and Post 16 VS Caseworker
| Current education, employment or training provision |
|
|---|---|
| Special Educational Needs | This section must be completed in full if the child/young person has an identified special need under the SEND code of practice |
| Attendance | If there are attendance concerns:
|
| Presentation, behaviour, conduct | Details of any concerns:
|
| Emotional health and wellbeing | A snapshot of how the C/YP presents on a day-to-day basis. If concerns have been identified:
For Early Years Providers, the Leuven Assessment Scale may be used to assess the child's well-being and involvement. Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaires are frequently used for older children and young people, and scores of any assessment should be recorded by the social worker in TAB 1. |
My view: voice of the child/young person
This Tab must be completed prior to the PEP meeting unless the CYP is attending in person.
It is essential, wherever possible, that the voice of the C/YP is not only recorded, but evident in the minutes of the PEP meeting, decision making and in setting new SMART targets and actions.
For most children and young people, the Virtual School request that the standard forms/questions are completed on the phase appropriate child voice forms. For Early Years (EY) and Statutory School Age (SSA) PEPs there is a choice of how this is captured, including a non-verbal pupil view. In the Tab 'My Views' you will see a drop down menu. From the drop down menu, choose the type of format most appropriate to the individual child/young person and support them in completing this in as much detail as possible. However, for those children/young people with SEND, or who are simply unable or refusing to engage at that time, we appreciate the difficulties in accessing and capturing their views in this way. Please try wherever possible to upload documents which demonstrate their views or achievements in other ways. This can be the provisions version of gathering views, or may be other documents related to evidence of their progress, for example, photos, awards etc. You can upload documents from the drop down menu on the left hand side of the C/YP's home page (see section 13 on page 11). |
Progress, attainment and development
This Tab must be completed prior to the PEP meeting. For Post 16 young people this should only be completed for those in an Education or Training setting.
This is coloured RED as it is always completed by the Designated Teacher/Lead in the Nursery, School or College the C/YP attends.
The information gathered within this tab is in a standard table format to allow for cohort analysis across multiple settings. It is found in all phase PEPs and gives a chronological record of the Development and Attainment and Progress of the child/young person throughout their education.
|
PEP meeting record
This TAB should be completed during the meeting or as soon as possible after the meeting.
This Tab is usually RED and is completed by the Designated Teacher/Lead, unless it is a Post 16 PEP and the young person is in Employment, Training or is seeking a placement. In this instance the VS Caseworker along with Social Worker will complete this tab and it will be coloured PURPLE.
| Attendees | All professionals involved with the C/YP should be invited to attend a PEP meeting as should their carer, and parent/s where appropriate. Wherever possible, the child or young person should have the choice to be present at the meeting. If this is not possible, they should have their views recorded in the tab above and advocated on their behalf, any discussion or actions should be fed back to them after the meeting. |
|---|---|
| Minutes of the PEP meeting | Using the information in the previous tabs, a full account of the PEP meeting discussion should be recorded using the principles of;
The notes above should focus on the 'educational/developmental needs, including emotional health and well-being, but should not include information which has little or no bearing on school/college provision and should not replicate care team meetings or cared for reviews. Additional information can be recorded in Q8. Please ensure the voice of the child is evident in the record of the meeting. Please ensure the carers comments are represented in this meeting. |
| Setting new PEP date | Agree the date, time and venue for the next meeting. Once inputted, this will automatically generate reminders via the Welfare Call system. This must be termly and should be held in the same week of the term as the current meeting. For example; if the first meeting of the year falls within the 3 rd week of Autumn Term, then the next date set should aim to be in the 3 rd week of Spring Term and the same in the Summer term |
Setting of SMART targets
This TAB should be completed during the termly PEP meeting for all three PEPs.
| Evaluating previous SMART targets set and the impact of planned support and/or interventions |
|
|---|---|
| New targets set should be SMART, aspirational and focus on accelerating progress | Where a child/young person is in an education setting, it is important that the Designated Teacher/Lead, with appropriate experience of target-setting, composes the targets to ensure that they are relevant and specific to the C/YP's educational needs. In Post 16 employment/apprenticeship or when the Young Person is currently seeking EET, the targets will be agreed by the YP, Social Worker, Personal Assistant and VS Caseworker with input from parents/carers and prospective providers. All present should agree two short term and one medium to long term target, which should be: Specific - Measurable - Achievable- Relevant - Time bound |
| Evidence based | Targets set should reflect the information contained within the PEP, particularly:
Targets should also reflect current educational pedagogy, which could include for example evidence based interventions from EEF Toolkit |
| Resourced | Clear strategies should be outlined for the support the C/YP can expect from school/provision staff and other professionals in meeting the targets. |
Use of Pupil Premium Plus Where Pupil Premium or Early Years Premium is awarded to the school/provision, this must be appropriately costed against the targets set. However, PP+ should not be used to support activities and interventions which would usually be available to all C/YP in the setting. | Please refer to the Education Endowment Foundation PP Guidance on effective interventions Appropriate use of PP+ could be used to support:
|
| Catch up tuition funding | The use of any 'Catch Up Premium' or access to 'National Tutoring Programme', following COVID lockdown, must be clearly identified on the PEP and appropriately used to close gaps in attainment and accelerate progress. |
Quality assurance
This tab is only completed by the Virtual School following the uploading of the information from the termly PEP meeting.
Once the ePEP has been completed and signed off by the DT/DL, the Virtual School will be notified. The ePEP will then be Quality Assured by the VS Caseworker and any examples of Good practice or areas for further development, will be fed back via the Quality Assurance Tab.
| Timeframes | Has the PEP meeting been held within statutory timeframes and the PEP document completed and uploaded onto the Welfare Call system, no later than 10 working days from the date of the PEP meeting. |
|---|---|
| Quality assurance of individual tabs | At the bottom of each Tab is a Quality Assurance question. This rating will automatically populate into the relevant section on the final Quality Assurance Tab. Each section will be rated either Red, Amber or Green.
|
| Overall rating for the PEP | Based upon the ratings for each individual tab, using a best fit principle, the PEP will be given an overall rating of Red, Amber or Green.
|
Please refer to the PEP QA Framework Document for more specific criteria on ratings.
My personal education plan summary
This tab is populated with summary information from the full PEP including:
The word version of this summary can only be found in the' Previous PEP's' section of the child record, once the PEP has been quality assured by the virtual school (see section 12, Pg 11). This summary does not contain details of the QA feedback and can be used to distribute the PEP information and targets to a wider audience of staff and other professionals/carers. |
Additional tabs
In addition to the core tabs, these additional tabs appear depending on the age and circumstances of the C/YP.
| Transition tab |
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|---|---|
| Careers advice and post 16 planning | This tab appears for all children in Y9 - 11 and includes information relating to:
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| Alternative timetable/education provision |
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