All children in the care of Enfield who are of statutory school age and in education post 16, including university, are part of Enfield’s Virtual School. At the Enfield Virtual school, we have one advisory teacher for our post 16 cohort who tracks educational progress, while supporting and monitoring work with children and young people in care.
We are a multi-functional team who work collaboratively to help young people achieve their full potential and offer support and advice to those who care and work with them.
About 16+ PEPs
The Personal Education Plan (PEP) acts as a framework to hold and protect the young person. It provides a vital network to support and safeguard them as they move into adulthood. Enfield are committed to providing support for looked-after children up to 18 years of age.
In line with the Children Act 1989 and the corporate parenting principles, young people transitioning from care should be supported to continue their education and achieve their aspirations. Virtual Schools work with care leaving teams to ensure the education of those transitioning from care is supported at both a strategic and individual level.
Termly PEP meetings should ensure the young person’s PEP has a clear and positive plan, helping to remove barriers and support them transition into adulthood and long-term employment.
The PEP is the joint responsibility of the local authority and the setting the looked-after child is on roll at. The PEP is owned by the social worker. At Enfield Virtual School, welfare call is used to provide an electronic PEP in which participants log into a secure portal to upload information before and during the PEP meeting.
Key individuals who should be involved in the PEP process are:
- Social worker/Personal advisor
- Designated teacher
- Young person
- Foster carer/Key worker
- Virtual school
Financial support
Although the pupil premium plus funding does not include post 16 education, there is still some financial support available for our looked-after children. This is discussed and agreed during the PEP meeting and reflected via the targets for the young person. There is also the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund provided by the government.
Enrichment
Volunteering – To make themselves more employable and further develop their social skills, we encourage our young people to sign up to the volunteering opportunities available at Enfield.
Future Employment – Workshops on creating a personal statement and CV are available via the Enfield Youth Hub located in Edmonton Green.
Skills and employment advice is available to all 16 to 24 year olds who are either not in education or training or currently unemployed.
Mentoring – ‘Spring Forward’ is a mentoring programme to help you choose, apply, and prepare for university. Young people can work with a mentor from an independent school. The mentor will support by talking about university courses, and help you decide which courses to apply for and where.
Talk about the university application process and ways for them to support you.
Talk about how to improve your personal statement.