Wales ALN Act Explained

From September 2020, new provision for special educational needs will come into force in Wales. We explain the new ALN Act.

In Wales, nearly a quarter of learners have some form of special educational need (SEN), and their educational outcomes are poor compared to other students – in part because the current SEN system in the country is over 30 years old and out of date.

The Welsh Government has now published its ALN Act 2018, which will replace the existing SEN system from September 2020.

What is the ALN 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.

Individual Development Plan

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 will replace 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.