ADDITIONAL LEARNING NEEDS (ALN)

All parents and carers want their children to do well at school. Children and young people learn at different rates and may have different events going on in their lives that can affect their rate of learning. Schools, colleges and local authorities can help most children and young people overcome these difficulties. For some, these difficulties are short-term.

Other children and young people may need more support to achieve their potential. This may be because they have an Additional Learning Need, which means that they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for additional learning provision. Some may need additional support in particular areas of their education, whilst others may need help with all or most aspects of their education.

Children/young people have a learning difficulty or disability if they have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of other children and young people of the same age; or if they have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of usual school or college facilities.

The ALN/Inclusion Team and Partnership Working

The school’s ALN/Inclusion Team work closely with our Primary Schools, the Local Authority, other Secondary Schools, Post-16 Settings and all other relevant services, including health. These partnerships are crucial to ensure that learners have the appropriate support and provision to help them to progress and succeed.

Our ALNCo is Mrs Clare Rafferty, who is assisted by Mrs Susan Bilson and the wider Access support team.

Our Inclusion Lead is Ms Collette Ryan, who is assisted by Mrs Rita Williams and the wider Inclusion support team.

The teams of ALN/Inclusion staff have a range of experience and training in a number of specialist areas, including Additional Learning Needs, teaching and learning and social, emotional and behavioural support.

Our team (and their partners) work hard to promote the following for all learners:

successful educational and social inclusion;
improved learning outcomes;
improved well-being outcomes for all children and young people with Additional Learning Needs (ALN)

*The Local Authority where the child or young person lives will be the LA who supports the learner, parent/carer and school which the child attends.

Changes in Wales

The approach to supporting children with additional learning needs has now changed. The Welsh Government passed new legislation, called the Additional Learning Needs (Wales) Act 2018, and Additional Learning Needs (ALN) Code 2021, which replaces all of the existing legislation and guidance about special educational needs.

The main changes include:

Bringing together all existing systems into a new, single system for ALN.
Being more learner-centred.
Providing learners with the same rights and entitlements whatever their age or setting.
Improving transition between settings.
Providing Welsh language provision where needed.
A fair and transparent system for all.

The Welsh Government hope that these changes will mean that children and their parents and young people will:

Get the support they need earlier.
Be more involved in making decisions about their lives and the support that they need.
Be able to find information more easily than before.
Be supported if they disagree with decisions.
Be able to appeal decisions to the Education Tribunal.

The new law says that a ‘child’ means an individual under compulsory school age (16 years), while a ‘young person’ is someone aged between 16 and 25 over compulsory school age. Children and young people who have special educational needs and disabilities will now get support for longer using one system. Some young people may be able to get support until the age of 25.

For young people 16 or over, they will be the main person making decisions, however they may still want to ask their parents/carers to help them make decisions. They can also ask for information, advice and advocacy from someone impartial.

This new system will protect the rights of all children, regardless of the extent of their additional learning needs.

What’s Changing?

From September 2021 up to August 2025, the new Additional Learning Needs (ALN) system has been gradually replacing the previous Special Educational Needs (SEN) system. As well as the name change, responsibilities towards children and young people with ALN are changing too.

All children with Additional Leaning Needs will have an Individual Development Plan (IDP) which will replace the current SEN Statements, Individual Education Plans and Learning and Skills Plans.

Learners with any level of Additional Learning Need who require Additional Learning Provision (ALP) to be made for them, will be entitled to an IDP outlining their support needs. This new system will protect the rights of all children, regardless of the extent of their additional learning needs.

ALN Transformation Period

Children and young people in different year groups have been transferring to the new ALN system from the previous SEN system over the last few years. At Ysgol Emrys ap Iwan, all children in Years 7, 9 and 11 have been considered under the new ALN Code. Some children will have been given ALN consideration already, but remaining learners in Year 10 will have transferred to the new system by the end of the 2023-24 academic year and learners currently in Year 8 and any new learners who are still on the SEN system will transfer by the end of the 2024-25 academic year.

As the ALN Transformation period continues across Wales, Ysgol Emrys ap Iwan’s ALN team has a key role in supporting learners and parents/carers through the change in processes, embedding of person-centred practices and implementation of the new Individual Development Plans.

The Local Authority ALN/Inclusion Teacher/Officer will also work with the school and can attend reviews of children with a School/Local Authority Individual Development Plans (IDPs). They will support families and the school and advise on the evaluation and review of outcomes and the effectiveness of the Additional Learning Provision (ALP) in place to meet these outcomes.

When the changes are made, what will happen to existing Statements?

Any existing Statements of SEN will continue to be legal documents until replaced by an IDP or until you or your child leave education.

The new ‘Decision Making Duty’ on Schools, Colleges and Local Authorities

When a school, college or Local Authority is ‘made aware’ that a child or young person may have additional learning needs [ALN], it MUST decide whether that child or young person does have additional learning needs unless:

An Individual Development Plan (IDP) is already in place for the child or young person.
A decision has already been made and the school is satisfied that the child’s needs have not changed since that decision and there is no new information.
The young person (16+) does not consent (agree) to the decision being made.

Additional learning needs factsheets for:

What to do If I Think My Child Needs Help in School

If you are concerned about your child’s progress, speak to the relevant person at the school directly. Your child’s subject teacher, Form Tutor, Assistant Pastoral Leader or Pastoral Leader will be able to discuss your concerns with you and may:

Provide extra support for your child and will review this regularly to see if any further support is required.
Get further advice and support from the school’s Additional Learning Needs Coordinator
Get advice from other professionals, such as an Educational Psychologist or a Speech Therapist.

If the Additional Learning Needs Coordinator feels that it is possible that your child has long-term learning needs, they may consider that your child requires an ALN Consideration. This consideration may involve observation and assessments of your child over time, and/or consultation with and advice from other professionals. It will always include working with the child/young person to gather their views and to set objectives jointly.

For children in Years 7-11, the specific subject teacher, Form Tutor, Assistant Pastoral Leader, Pastoral Leader or Additional Learning Needs Coordinator should be the first point of contact. They will be able to listen to your concerns, and if requested, begin to consider if your child has Additional Learning Needs. This decision will be made within 35 working days, unless the school requires further specialist advice through the Local Authority or Health Services, in which case a further 12 weeks may be required.

In most cases, the help and support that children need can and should be provided at a ‘Universal Level’. Universal Provision is the name given to the provision, which is routinely available to all children and young people and may be provided at a whole class, small group or individual level. It is monitored and tracked in line with school procedures and could be a short-term or a longer-term provision.

If a child or young person does not appear to be making progress with universal provision, then additional learning provision (ALP) may be required. This will involve the needs of the learner being identified and agreed through a person-centred review process and could lead to enhanced and alternative provision being provided to support the learner in making progress. Children and young people who access ALP are classed as having ALN and will have an Individual Development Plan for as long as they need any ALP.

An Individual Development Plan, or IDP, replaces Statements of Special Educational Needs (SEN) and in some cases Individual Education Plans. These plans are developed with the child or young person at the centre of agreeing their own individualised outcomes and planning their provision.

IDPs are being phased in until August 2025, when all Statements of SEN will cease. IDPs will be reviewed at least annually and will be created with the child or young person and their parents/carers or advocate. They can also be reviewed should information or needs change at the request of the child, young person or parent/carer.

These IDPs are designed to outline the ALN of a child or young person, their aspirations and targets to achieve these. Any child or young person who receives ALP requires an IDP. The majority of these IDPs will be written and maintained by schools, in some more complex cases, however, schools may request that the Local Authority consider the needs of the child or young person. If these needs are found to be complex and require specialist input, the Local Authority may write and then either direct the school to maintain the plan or maintain it themselves.

You can also ask that school carry out an ALN Consideration yourself. Contact the school’s ALNCo (Mrs Rafferty) who will be able to help you make this request, or the form below can be used and given to school. You don’t have to use this form, but it is the easiest way of giving school as much information as possible about your request.