Re: Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (2018) Act – Changes to ALN in Wales

 

Dear Parent / Carer,

You may already know that from September 2021, changes with regards to Additional Learning Needs (ALN) in Wales are coming into force. This letter is to outline the changes that will be coming into force, to give the opportunity to ask any questions that you have about these changes, and know where you are able to get additional information should you want this.

Who will these changes affect?

From 1 September 2021, pupils in maintained schools in Wales, who have SEN provision via School Action/School Action Plus who fall into one of the following mandated cohorts during the 2021/2022 school year:

Nursery Years 1 and 2, Year 1, Year 3, Year 5, Year 7 and Year 10.*

* These children will move from the SEN system to the ALN system over the course of the 2021/2022 school year.

These changes do not affect those learners who currently have a statement of special educational needs.

What changes are coming into place?

Currently all school across Wales must follow the SEN code of practice. From September 2021 there is a phased transition from this code to the new ALN code of practice. With this comes a few changes for those learners with additional learning needs.

At the moment, all learners with SEN have an Individual Education Plan (IEP), which outlines targets for the learner, and strategies that will be put in place to help the learner to meet those targets. From September 2021 for those groups outlined above, IEPs will no longer be used, and Individual Development Plans (IDPs) will be used. These documents contain a substantial amount more information about the learner, and give outcomes for the learner to work towards as opposed to targets. IDPs are legal documents, which must, by law, be reviewed at least once every 12 months. Further information about IDPs can be found on our school website in our narrated video.

 

What are Additional Learning Needs (ALN) under the new legislation?

 

A child has additional learning needs if he or she matches both of the following criteria:

• A child has a learning difficulty or disability; that is, they have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or have a condition that prevents or hinders them from making use of education or facilities, and
• The learning difficulty or disability that a child has requires an Additional Learning Provision (ALP); this is that they require support that is additional to, or different from, that generally provided to other learners of the same age.

A person does not have a learning difficulty or disability solely because the language (or form of language) in which he or she is or will be taught is different from a language (or form of language) which is or has been used at home.

Why is the ALN system changing in Wales?

The current system (the SEN code of practice) is now 30 years old. Findings showed that the needs of learners are sometimes not met quickly enough (or not at all), that the system is complicated, and that it does not involve all of those who work with the learner, and sometimes not the learner themselves.

The new code works around 5 key principles:

(a) A rights-based approach where the views, wishes and feelings of the child and the child’s parent are central to the planning and provision of support; and the child and child’s parents are enabled to participate as fully as possible in the decision making processes and has effective rights to challenge decisions about ALN, ALP and related matters.

(b) Early identification, intervention and prevention where needs are identified and provision put in place at the earliest opportunity and where possible interventions are put in place to prevent the development or escalation of ALN.

(c) Collaboration and integration where services work together to ensure ALN are identified early and appropriate co-ordinated support is put in place to enable children to achieve positive expectations, experiences and outcomes.

(d) Inclusive education where the majority of children with ALN are supported to participate fully in education and a whole school approach is taken to meeting the needs of learners with ALN.

(e) A bilingual system where all reasonable steps are taken to deliver ALP in Welsh for children who require support through the medium of Welsh, with scope for increasing the delivery of ALP in Welsh over time.

 

What is Person-Centred Practice (PCP), and how does this link with the new ALN code?

The key principles (above) outline that there should be (a) a rights-based approach and (c) collaboration and integration.

Person-centred practice puts the child and child’s parents at the centre of decisions. It supports children and their parents to participate meaningfully will help them to:

• Feel confident that their views, wishes and feelings are listened to and valued, even if they find it difficult to get these across
• Have an awareness of their rights and the support and services available to them
• Develop a sense of responsibility for, and control over, their learning.

At Creunant we use a wide range of tools to help learners to get their views heard, and these tools, along with the views and wishes of parents, will be used when looking at the best support for learners.

How do I know if my child has Additional Learning Needs?

If the school feel that a learner requires additional support then they will contact you to discuss this, and look at arranging a meeting or discussion with you and your child to look at the next steps forward. This meeting might take place in person, using Microsoft Teams, or might take place over the phone. We will arrange the meeting to best suit you and the child. We encourage learners to take part in the meetings that take place, but where learners do not want to take part in the meetings then we will gain their views beforehand, and this will be discussed in the meeting. We will then meet with the learner afterwards to discuss what has happened in the meeting, and what the next steps for them might be.

What should I do if I have concerns that my child has additional learning needs?

If you have concerns that you child might have additional learning needs then your first contact should be the school. You can do this in one of two ways; you can phone the school reception and leave a message with Mrs Lewis or Mrs Teague, giving the concerns that you have, or you can ask to speak with your child’s class teacher.

Where can I find more information about the changes coming into place?

We have detailed information about ALN changes on our school website. This can be found on the website at https://creunant-primary-school.j2bloggy.com/

Simply click on the Parents/Carers tab and click on the LA ALNET PowerPoint for Parents.