School PEP Self-Evaluation Pack

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School PEP Self-Evaluation Pack

Special Schools

LACES September 2014
School PEP Evaluation Tool

Background:

Schools are required to ensure that each looked after child has a good quality PEP which will help to overcome barriers to learning and ensure the young person meets their potential. A full account of the responsibilities of the LAC Co-ordinator (Designated Teacher for LAC) in this respect is included at App 1 and it would be very useful for this to be read before starting to use this pack.

LACES has a responsibility to monitor and promote the quality of PEPs and carries out a quality assurance exercise each term, taking a sample of PEPs. This pack provides schools with the same criteria used by the LACES teachers to make those judgements. The intention is that LAC Co-ordinators will use the grade descriptors below to monitor the quality of PEPs in their schools and use the evidence to provide training if necessary. We do not make judgements about every part of every section, but the overall quality judgement takes the whole PEP into account.

Roles and Responsibilities

The LAC Co-ordinator does not need to complete all PEP forms or attend all PEP meetings. However, he/she has a responsibility to ensure that the person attending the meeting and completing the form is sufficiently trained and informed to carry out this role. In addition, the LAC Co should read each PEP when it is complete in order to ensure quality is maintained and follow up any examples of PEPs that fall below the minimum accepted quality.

PEPs and the Pupil Premium

From September 2014, the distribution of the Pupil Premium + will be linked to the PEP process. The arrangements for this are in separate documents. For the Pupil Premium + to be released, LACES will need to receive a PEP which is at least of Good overall quality according to the grade descriptors below:

Grade descriptors:

1. Young people’s views (PEP Section2)

Score / Criteria
N/S / No score – only award if there is a stated good reason why the young person's views were not available. A blank section should be should shown as Inadequate.
Inadequate / Not completed
Requires improvement / Some sections complete but not in any detail or does not reflect the age of the young person. No mention of lack of engagement of young person where responses are brief.
Good / All sections include some information which appears to reflect the young person's views. If the young person has not participated well with the process, this is stated.
Outstanding / All sections complete, with evidence of young person having been encouraged to think about issues in some detail. For this section to be outstanding the young person’s own language should be used unless age or SEN would have made this impossible. Evidence that information has been sought from other sources if the young person has not engaged with the process.

1. Plans for the future (PEP Section 3)

Score / Criteria
N/S / No score – only award if there is a stated good reason why this section cannot be completed. This could include cases when the young person's high level of disability makes it hard to determine what their ambitions may be, or where they may not understand the ideas implicit in this section.
Inadequate / Not completed
Requires improvement / Some sections complete but information provided is vague and does not consider possible barriers to future attainment.
Good / Each section includes some information which relates to the aspirations or longer term plans for the young person. If the young person has had limited engagement with the process or does not have any known ambitions, this is stated together with details of possible barriers.
Outstanding / Completed in detail with evidence of good understanding of young person's aspirations, barriers plus actions to meet them, or evidence that there are no known barriers at this time. To be outstanding, this section should include both short and longer term plans and actions.

1. AcademicTargets (PEP Section 5)

Score / Criteria
N/S / No score – only award if there is a stated good reason why there are no academic targets available. This could be if the young person is very new to school and no records yet received. Otherwise, blank section should be recorded as Inadequate.
Inadequate / Not completed
Requires improvement / One or two targets, but both are either not academic or not SMART.
Good / Two targets, both of which address learning, and at least one of which is SMART and includes some specific support from a named adult
Outstanding / Two good, SMART academic targets, with support as above.

Further guidance on academic targets:

Note: A SMART target is specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely. That means it could be picked up by anyone in the school and delivered, without any explanation or interpretation from the person who wrote it. It can also be reviewed at a later date to determine whether the actions took place and how successful they were.

Examples

The following is an example of a good/outstanding target. Not only is it SMART but it also includes actions which will help the young person to achieve it and the names of the people responsible.

Needs and risks (issue) / What needs to be achieved (outcomes) / What needs to happen and when (how) / Person responsible
3 pieces of English coursework yet be handed in. / Complete and hand in all English coursework by deadline (March 23rd 2013) / 1.Meet with English teacher by (2 weeks from meeting date) to discuss difficulties. This will lead to further strategies which could include withdrawal from PE and individual support.
2.Apply for LACES home tuition in English immediately. / Mrs Perkins
Mr Davis/LACES

The following is an example of atarget that needs improvement. It is not specific enough to be considered SMART, as we don't yet know what the intervention will be and what is needed to help the young person reach the expected level. However, a need is identified and something is planned to help address it and it would not take much amendment to improve it to a good level.

Needs and risks (issue) / What needs to be achieved (outcomes) / What needs to happen and when (how) / Person responsible
Maths 2 sub levels below expected.
discalculia / (yp) to reach expected level by end of Spring term (5c) / Meeting arranged with maths co-ordinator at to discuss an intervention for (yp) / R. Grant

The following is also needs improvement, but thistarget is very weak, because it does not define the nature of the problem in sufficient detail and relies on the young person to address it, by taking action herself. Home tuition is mentioned, but no-one is named as responsible for organising it. Although this may have been discussed in detail at the PEP meeting, this level of detail is not good enough, as it leads to a lack of accountability and drift.

Needs and risks (issue) / What needs to be achieved (outcomes) / What needs to happen and when (how) / Person responsible
English / Complete coursework / Sally to attend revision classes
Home tuition / Sally

Some common problems with the Academic Targets section of the PEP (first two targets in Section 5):

Targets relating to behaviour or emotional well-being in this section.Please include these below, even if they impact on learning.

Only one academic target.There should be two targets in almost every case. Even if a young person is doing well, they are likely to benefit from just a bit of extra support.

Targets which state the problem and the expected outcome but do not specify what will happen to make a difference. The ‘rule of thumb’ is that somebody unrelated to school should be able to see exactly what is being provided, how often, and by whom. Support should not be vague or implied.

Targets which state what will happen, but only specify what the young person should do.Although it may be appropriate for young people to share responsibility for a target, it should never rely entirely on them.

Targets which refer to the continuation of something that is already happening.This is only appropriate if the action is very new and has been put in place in anticipation of the PEP. The PEP should specify actions which will make things better than they were before.

Targets which refer only to routine classroom strategies even though the young person is falling behind.If the young person is failing to make expected progress, it is likely than an intervention will be needed, and the Pupil Premium is there to help.

1. Transition (PEP page 5 under D. Progress – Current situation, supplemented by target in Section 5 if appropriate)

Score / Criteria
N/S / No score – only award if there is a stated good reason why this section cannot be completed. This could include young people in special schools/placements where there are no transition implications.
Inadequate / Not completed
Requires improvement / Section complete but does not provide any helpful information, or simply states there will be no issues to address. Issues identified but no target in Section 5.
Good / Completed in some detail, including information about arrangements to support transition and/or target in Section 5. If there really are no issues to address, this section should at least explain why this is the case.
Outstanding / Completed in detail with evidence of good understanding of potential difficulties plus actions to meet them, or evidence that the young person's needs are well met by existing arrangements. These existing arrangements also outlined.

1. Use of Pupil Premium (PEP Section 5B)

Score / Criteria
N/S / No score – only award if there is a stated good reason why this section is not completed. This does not include the school rep having incomplete information, but may be appropriate if the young person has just joined the school and this is an initial PEP.
Inadequate / Not completed
Requires improvement / Some information but may be unspecific about what will be provided, when and for how long, or what the support is intended to achieve.
Good / Reasonable detail about what will happen and targets, but may be weak on measuring impact.
Outstanding / Clear information about what will happen, targets and how impact will be measured.

1. Overall judgement

Score / Criteria
Inadequate / PEP is inadequate because many sections are blank or completed very briefly. There are no useful targets or actions. It will make no difference to the young person’s education.
Requires improvement / PEP requires improvement, because it is not completed in sufficient detail. There may beissues which are mentioned but no targets to address them. There may be some specific and measurable targets, and actions designed to address identified needs but the lack of detail means some areas are not fully addressed. It is unlikely to make much difference to the young person's education but could have an impact on one or two issues.
Good / PEP is good. All sections are complete, some in detail, and there are targets to address all stated issues. The standard of the Academic Targets section is at least Good. It is likely to improve the young person's education.
Outstanding / PEP is outstanding, because there is plenty of detail throughout and good SMART targets which relate directly to identified issues. The standard of the Academic Targets section is at least Good. It is highly likely to make a significant difference to the young person's education, or help to maintain a currently positive situation.

APPENDIX 1: Excerpt from The Roles and Responsibilities of the Designated Teacher for Looked After Children. Statutory Guidance for School Governing Bodies, DCSF 2009

Chapter 4. The role of the

designated teacher in developing

the personal education plan (PEP)

4.1 What are PEPs and why are they important?

4.1.1 All looked after children must have a care plan which is drawn

up and reviewed by the local authority which looks after them.

The care plan will identify intended outcomes and objectives for the

child and provide the framework to work with the child and carers

in relation to his or her emotional and behavioural development,

identity, relationships and self care skills. The care plan must also

include a health plan and a PEP which are developed and reviewed in

partnership with relevant professionals. In the case of the PEP, where

the child is on the roll of a school, this will be the designated teacher.

4.1.2 The PEP, in addition to being part of the overall care plan, is part of

a looked after child’s official school record. If the child moves schools,

it should be forwarded, along with other school records, to their new

school, if known, and to the main contact (usually the child’s social

worker) in the local authority which looks after the child.

4.1.3 Unlike for other children, there will be more adults involved in the

child’s care and this adds to the complexity of communicating a

shared understanding of roles and expectations. In the past, this has

meant that there has been no common understanding of how to

meet a child’s educational needs. The PEP is a vital document because

it provides a ‘collective memory’ about the child’s education.

4.1.4 Where they are used effectively, PEPs improve the educational

experience of the child by helping everyone gain that clear and

shared understanding about the teaching and learning provision

necessary to meet the child’s education needs and how that will

be provided. For this reason the school and local authority

(through strong links between the designated teacher and, for

example, the local authority virtual school head) have a shared

responsibility for making the PEP a living and useful document.

4.2 Receipt of the PEP template by the designated teacher

4.2.1 When a child on the school’s roll becomes looked after, the local

authority which looks after him or her must ensure that the designated

teacher is notified and receives the PEP. This should be pre-populated

with basic information. This should include information about:

●the child’s details that the school needs to know – such as age;

care status; where the child lives; school history and whether the

child has a statement of special educational needs (SEN) or are

having their SEN met through School Action or School Action Plus;

●the child’s carers;

●the child’s parents and what restrictions might apply in relation to

their contact with the child;

●whom to contact within the local authority that looks after the child

(social worker and looked after children education team contact).

4.2.2 If a child has been looked after for some time, the PEP should include

information about educational progress and how s/he learns best.

4.2.3 Children who are already looked after when they join the school

should have an existing PEP. This should be transferred to the child’s

new school. If the local authority has not provided the most recent

PEP, the designated teacher should make sure that this is followed up

with the authority which looks after the child (e.g. through the virtual

school head). This does not mean that the designated teacher has to

do this him or herself; s/he only needs to make sure it happens.

4.3 What should the school do with the PEP?

4.3.1 When a child at the school becomes looked after, or when a looked

after child joins the school either at the beginning of, or during,

the school year, the designated teacher should make sure his or her

specific educational needs are assessed without delay.

4.3.2 The designated teacher should work closely with other teachers as

necessary to identify the young person’s strengths and weaknesses

and any barriers to learning. This assessment of learning needs should

form the basis for the development or – if it already exists – the review

and refinement of the PEP.

4.3.3 The designated teacher will be responsible for leading on the

development and implementation of the PEP within the school once

it has been received from the social worker, who initiates it as part of

the wider care plan.

4.3.4 This does not mean that the designated teacher writes every part of the

plan him or herself. Other staff in the school may need to contribute to

this plan. The PEP is also likely to contain information about what the

local authority and other agencies will do to support the child.

4.3.5 The key thing about a PEP is that it should set high quality

expectations of rapid progress and put in place the additional

support the child or young person needs in order to succeed.

Practice in relation to the development and review of the PEP differs

across local authorities. In some cases, the local authority looked after

children education service takes on a significant role in producing the