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Additional Learning Needs
at Abertillery Learning Community

Special Educational Needs/ Additional Learning Needs Reform

The Welsh Government has changed the way that children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) will be supported. The new system defines SEN as Additional Learning Needs (ALN). The law has changed for several reasons, but the main one was to make the process simpler and more transparent for all involved.

The new law for supporting children and young people with ALN has brought about several main changes including:

bringing together all current systems into a new, single system for ALN;
being learner-centered;
providing learners with the same rights and entitlements whatever their age or setting;
improving transition between settings;
providing Welsh language provision where needed; and
being a fair and transparent system for all.

These changes mean that children and parent(s)/ carer(s) and young people will:

access the support they need earlier;
be more involved in making decisions about the support they need;
be able to find information more easily; and
be supported if they disagree with decisions.

Children and young people who have additional learning needs may get this support for longer. The new system does not give all young people with ALN an automatic right to continuous education up until the age of 25, but some young people may be able to get this support until the age of 25 if they have a reasonable need for education and/ or training.

How has this happened?

There has been a phased approach to these changes over 4 years

This means there were two systems operating from Sept 2021-2025, the new ALN system and the former SEN system. During this time the Local Authority, Early Years setting (EY), school and Further Education (FE) setting (e.g. Post 16 College) has worked hard with children and their families, young people and other professionals to ensure everyone understands these changes. Services and resources available in Blaenau Gwent to help children with additional learning needs can be found here. Useful information can also be found in the Blaenau Gwent Additional Learning Needs Principles document.

Families have access to impartial information, advice and support. This is statutory, which means it must be provided by law.

What is provided is shaped by the ALN Act 2018 and the new ALN Code 2021.

Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act

You can find out more about the ALN transformation programme here including a frequently asked questions and ALN transformation programme guide.

Every local authority in Wales must have arrangements for providing children and their families and young people with impartial information, advice and support. In Blaenau Gwent, SNAP Cymru provides this service. SNAP Cymru will:

confidently share your views, make decisions and develop good relationships with professionals;
provide clear and straightforward information about your options;
help you make informed decisions; and
help you understand ALN law, entitlements and processes.

The new ‘Decision Making Duty’ on the school

When a school is made aware that a child or young person at the school may have ALN, it must decide, through Person Centred Planning, whether that child or young person does have additional learning needs unless:

an IDP is already in place;
a decision has already been made that the child or young person does have ALN and their needs have not changed; or
in the case of a young person, they do not consent to the decision being made.

Person Centred Planning

Person centred planning (PCP) is used to effectively plan with a child/young person, rather than for them.

There are five key principles of person centred planning:

the person is at the centre
family members are included in planning
the plan reflects what is important to the person now (and for the future) and what support they require
the plan helps build the person’s place in the community and helps the community to welcome them
the plan results in on-going listening, learning and further action

A range of people are involved during the PCP process. All views and ideas are recorded in a structured, step-by-step way. Some pupils will be identified by their school as having an additional learning need (ALN) and may require more individualised planning. This will be provided by their school through an Individual Development Plan (IDP). In some cases, it may be decided that the child or young person does not have an additional learning need (ALN) that requires additional learning provision (ALP). A child, their parent(s)/carer(s), or a young person can ask the local authority to reconsider the decision of the school regarding the child/ young person’s ALN.

More information can be found here:

Right to Appeal to the Education Tribunal for Wales (ETW)

A Guide to ADDITIONAL LEARNING NEEDS

What is an individual development plan?

An individual development plan (IDP) is created through collaboration with the child and parent/ carer or young person in partnership with wider agencies that may be involved such as health and social care professionals.

The individual development plan will say what the child or young person needs to be able to learn, setting out:

what’s important to and for them;
a description of their learning needs; and
what will be done so they are properly supported in school and the additional learning provision (ALP) required to meet their additional learning needs.

This plan will be reviewed every twelve months or sooner if necessary.

An IDP can be created and overseen (maintained) by schools, colleges or the Local Authority, but regardless of who maintains the IDP, it is still a legal document so the provision written into it must be carried out by law.

One Page Profiles

A one page profile captures all the important information about a child/young person in a single document under three simple headings:

What people like and admire about me
What’s important to me?
How best to support me

One page profiles are easy to develop and help us to better support the child/young person by:

helping us understand what really matters them in their life and the way they are supported
providing a record that can move with them as they transition
being regularly updated to reflect people’s changing circumstances and goals

Contact details

For further information you could get in touch with any of the contacts below:

The Additional Learning Needs Coordinator (ALNCo) at your child's school/setting. Please contact the school’s office to find out who the ALNCo is at your child’s school.
SNAP Cymru Independent Information Advice and Support Service Tel: 0808 801 0608.

Your local authority inclusion service.
Special Educational Needs Tribunal for Wales

Telephone: 0300 025 9800

E-mail: Tribunal.Enquiries@gov.wales

If you are unhappy with anything, you should make your views known as soon as possible. If you are concerned about the progress your child is making at school or college, you should first talk to the class teacher. This will provide an opportunity for matters to be addressed and resolved promptly and prevent problems from escalating.