Personal Education Plans (PEPs)
A Personal Education Plan (PEP) is a vital document that supports the education of children and young people in care. It forms part of the overall care plan and sets out how everyone involved will support the young person to succeed in their education and future goals. A PEP meeting must happen termly and involve all professionals involved in the child’s care & education.
The Virtual School monitors and quality assures all PEPs to ensure children are receiving the best possible support with their education. We work closely with schools and social workers to identify concerns early and take effective action to reduce barriers, so every child has the opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential. Where a PEP does not meet the required standard, it is the responsibility of the Virtual School to provide support and guidance to the school to improve the quality of the plan.
eGOV Platform
Coventry Virtual School uses an electronic PEP system called eGOV [https://secure.epeponline.co.uk/login], which enables more consistent and accessible information sharing between professionals.
Each key professional involved in a young person’s education—social workers, designated teachers, and relevant Virtual School staff - has their own eGOV account and can access the PEPs for the young people they are allocated to.
This secure online platform ensures PEPs are updated in real time and can be reviewed ahead of meetings to support meaningful, well-informed conversations.
If you need support with your ePEP account, please contact the Virtual School via virtualschool@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:virtualschool@coventry.gov.uk].
We can offer help with:
- Forgotten or lost passwords
- Resetting accounts
- Navigating and using the ePEP platform
- Any other technical or practical questions
The Virtual School also offer training sessions on completing a PEP
Pupil voice
At Coventry Virtual School, we believe that the child is the expert in their own life. Their voice, ideas, and dreams are incredibly important to us.
Every child has a unique perspective on what school feels like, what they want to achieve, and the kind of support that works best for them. While it can sometimes feel like professionals are making decisions on their behalf, we are committed to ensuring they are included in the decisions that affect them.
Their input helps shape better support and more meaningful plans for their future. We want each young person to feel in control of their journey, to share what matters most to them, and to feel heard, respected, and understood.
Capturing pupil voice is non-negotiable. It is never acceptable for the PEP to say:
"No pupil views shared" or "Pupil didn’t want to give their views."
Even if the young person does not attend the meeting or chooses not to complete a form, the professionals involved are responsible for capturing their perspective. This can be done through:
- Recent conversations
- Work from keyworker or mentor sessions
- Observations from school or carers
- Drawings, voice notes, or written reflections
- A letter, poem, or recorded video
- Any creative method that allows the young person to feel safe and heard
The PEP is not just a document – it is a space where a young person’s world is discussed and shaped by adults who should know them best and act in their best interests. Their voice must always be central.
Who is responsible?
Who attends?
The PEP meeting should bring together all of the key adults who support the young person in their life and education. This includes:
- The young person themselves (if they wish to attend or their views should be captured prior to the meeting)
- The Social Worker (who leads on the care plan)
- The school’s Designated Teacher
- The carer and/or parent (where appropriate)
- A representative from the Virtual School, if necessary
- Any other relevant professionals, such as SEND staff or mentors, youth justice workers or family support officers.
Who organises the PEP and how often should it happen?
- The social worker is responsible for ensuring the meeting takes place within statutory timescales.
- The social worker and designated teacher should work together to organise the PEP meeting, ensuring the right people are invited and all relevant information is prepared in advance.
- PEPs should take place every term (three times a year).
- The child’s first PEP must be held within 10 working days of a child coming into care.
PEP structure and quality
Coventry’s ePEP has three core sections:
Section A: Social Worker’s contribution
Covers background information, care plan details, recent placement and care updates, and the social worker’s views on the child’s current progress and needs.
Section B: Designated Teacher’s input
Focuses on academic data, progress, attendance, behaviour, current interventions, and SMART targets. Also includes how PP+ is being spent to support outcomes.
Section C: Pupil Voice
This is where the young person’s views are captured – about school, learning, friendships, support, and future aspirations.
When should each section be completed?
- Section A (Social Worker) and Section B (Designated Teacher) should always be fully completed before the PEP meeting takes place.
- This ensures the meeting can focus on meaningful discussion and next steps, rather than information-gathering.
- The PEP meeting page within the ePEP should be completed at the meeting, and should reflect:
- The conversations held
- Views off all involved
- Actions agreed by all parties
What should a good PEP cover?
A high-quality PEP should include:
- A detailed and honest account of the young person’s current strengths and development areas
- SMART targets (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) that support progress in learning, wellbeing, and future plans.
- A record of how Pupil Premium Plus (PP+) funding is being used to help meet these targets
- Information about academic attainment and progress
- Information about any support services, interventions, or specialist provision in place
- Pupil voice – the child’s own thoughts, views, wishes, and goals
Quality Assurance
There is a new QA document new one in progress.
Pupil Premium Plus payments and PEP submission deadline dates for Academic Year 2025 to 2026
PEPs are a statutory requirement. The expectation is every child in care from age 3 years old to the end of Y11 will have one PEP per term, with an additional PEP should a school move happen mid-term. For any young person who is not on a school roll and is awaiting placement then a PEP conversation will replace a formal PEP but will still be recorded on ePEP.
Virtual School will do their best to attend PEPs for:
- Any child new to care
- Any child new to a school
- Reception, Year 7 and Year 11 in the Autumn term
- Y6 and Year 11 in the Summer term
Virtual School will prioritise attendance at a PEP for any child where there are education concerns, or a school move is likely.
It is the joint responsibility of the Designated Teacher and the Social Worker to invite Virtual School to PEPs on a mutually convenient date. Invites should be sent via email and not via ePEP.
Personal Education Plans (PEPs) submission deadlines
- Autumn:
- Reception, Y7 & Y11 31 October 2025
- All other year groups 30 November 2025
- Spring:
- All year groups 14 March 2026
- Summer:
- All year groups 14 June 2026
Reminders
- All PEPs must be submitted within 3 weeks of the PEP meeting.
- Designated Teachers can submit the social worker section (and should do so to prevent delay). Failure to submit a satisfactory PEP will result in PP+ not being paid for that term.
- For school age children PP+ will be paid in 3 equal payments of £600 each.
- Independent special schools do not receive PP+ as it is already accounted for in cost of the school place.
Every professional involved with the child is a corporate parent and has a responsibility to support the child as a good parent would. If in the time between PEPs there are issues that arise that give cause for concern or a child’s behaviour changes negatively then please contact us. Do not wait for the next PEP.
We are here to help and support but that will become more challenging if we don’t know there is a situation in school which is impacting on the young person’s ability to access education.