The Welsh Government is changing 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 new law for supporting children and young people with ALN will bring about several main changes that will make the process simpler and more transparent for all involved.

The Additional Learning Needs Act

The Additional Learning Needs (ALN) Act sets out the new statutory support system in Wales for children and young people with special needs.

The term ALN will replace ‘special educational needs’ (SEN) and ‘learning difficulties and/or disabilities’ (LDD), covering all children and young people with additional needs, regardless of how complex or severe they are.

This means ALN will cover a whole spectrum of needs, from so-called ‘high functioning’ autism, through dyslexia, dyspraxia and ADHD, to serious global learning delays/difficulties and major physical disabilities.

The ALN Act aims to help children and young people with ALN overcome barriers to learning and reach their full potential.

Under the new system, school SENCos (special educational needs coordinators) will be renamed or replaced by ALNCos.

Our School Statement and Vision

As a school we ensure the needs of all children are met through high quality teaching and learning provision by class teachers and Learning Support Officers. In addition to this, children may also attend one to one sessions / small group sessions. 

The ALN aims of the school:

• To meet the needs of all pupils through excellent teaching strategies, classroom organisation and differentiation
• To have a whole school Universal Provision that addresses the needs of all pupils
• To ensure that all pupils have access to a broad and balanced curriculum
• To ensure that early identification of a pupil’s needs is made, wherever possible
• To ensure that ALN pupils take as full a part as possible in all school activities
• To adopt a Person Centred Practice approach where the pupil, parents, school staff and outside support agencies are involved from the beginning, in planning actions and ways forward to support pupils with ALN
• To ensure that parents are kept regularly informed of their child’s progress
• To ensure that ALN pupils are involved, where practical, in decisions affecting their future ALN provision
• To work in partnership with parents, pupils and other agencies e.g. Educational Psychologist, Speech Therapists, Social Workers, School Nurse etc

Individual Development Plan (IDP)

A key element of the ALN Act is the provision of an Individual Development Plan (IDP) for every child who has ALN, regardless of the severity.  This replaces Statements, which are typically awarded to pupils with more severe or complex needs, and Individual Education Plans (IEPs) for learners with less complicated needs who are currently on the School Action or School Action Plus programmes.

This will ensure consistency throughout the ALN system, and protect the provisions and rights of all children, regardless of the extent of their needs. IDPs will apply to children and young people from birth up to the age of 25, as long as they are in education (including home education), further education (not higher education) or training.  They will set out not just the alternative learning provision (ALP) that pupils need at school, but also provisions by healthcare services, social services and any other agencies involved in their care and support.

The IDP will be a flexible document that will be reviewed and changed as a child’s needs develop and change over time.

The Additional Learning Needs Co-ordinator for Oldcastle Primary School is Miss Lyndsey Hodgson.

BCBC Information Regarding Additional Learning Needs