Welcome to Ysgol Penygaer’s Additional Learning Needs page.

Additional Learning Needs Coordinator (ALNCo): Mrs M Williams

mandy.williams@penygaer.ysgolccc.cymru

Please don't hesitate to contact your child's Class Teacher or any member of staff if you have any concerns regarding your child's development.

September 2021: ALN Transformation - What is changing?

Special Educational Needs (SEN) will now be known as Additional Learning Needs (ALN) as a result of a new act, the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018. The new ALN Code was approved in April 2021 and went live from September 2021. 

The system for supporting children and young people with Special Educational Needs (SEN) and disability in Wales is changing. The Welsh Government is bringing in a new more flexible and responsive system of meeting the needs of children with SEN or disabilities and is striving to deliver a fully inclusive education system for the learners of Wales. 

Why is it changing?

• We are determined to deliver a fully inclusive education system for learners in Wales. A system where needs are identified early and addressed quickly, and where all learners are supported to reach their potential.
• Around 22 per cent of all learners at maintained schools in Wales have SEN. Overall the academic attainment of learners with SEN is poor compared to the rest of the learner population.
• Under the new system, planning will be flexible and responsive, our professionals will be skilled and confident in identifying needs and deploying strategies to help learners overcome their barriers to learning, and the learner will be at the centre of everything we do.

The short video below explains clearly what changes will be happening across Wales:

ALN in Carmarthenshire – How is ALN changing and how does it affect you? 

The new system will ensure: 

· Needs are identified early, addressed quickly and all learners are supported to reach their potential. 

· Our professionals are skilled and confident in identifying needs and deploying strategies to help learners overcome their barriers to learning. 

· That the learner is at the centre of everything we do and that they and their parents/ carers are equal partners in their learning (Person Centred Practice - PCP).

The short video below explains clearly what changes will be happening across Carmarthenshire:

From September 2021 the new system will be brought in gradually over the next few years (2021 -2024). Here are some of the key messages about these changes and what they may mean for you and your child. 

The 11 main aims of the Act...... 

• The term Additional Learning Needs (ALN) will replace the terms Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Learning Difficulties and Disabilities (LDD). 
• Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCos) in schools will now be called Additional Learning Needs Coordinators (ALNCos). 
• The mandatory ALN Code for the new system will cover children and young people aged 0-25 years. This means that early years and further education colleges will have duties under the Act, but this does not include higher education or apprenticeships. 
• The current graduated system of Early Years/School Action, Early Years/School Action Plus and Statements is being replaced over the course of the next 3 years. 
• All children and young people with an identified Additional Learning Need (ALN) that requires Additional Learning Provision (ALP) will have an Individual Development Plan (IDP). 
• The IDP will replace all other individual plans. IDPs for children under compulsory school age, who require them, i.e.in the early years, will be maintained by Local Authorities. 
• Most Individual Development Plans will be maintained by the school but may also be maintained by the Local Authority for those learners with the most complex needs. 
• The Act expects that all partners such as Education, Health and Social Care will work in collaboration to support children and young people with ALN. 
• There will be increased opportunities for children, young people, parents/carers to contribute to the creation and maintenance of Individual Development Plans through Person Centred Practice (PCP). 
• It is expected that working together more closely should help to avoid disagreements. 
• All reasonable steps will be taken to ensure Additional Learning Provision (ALP) will be provided in Welsh, if required. 

ALN Provision at Penygaer School

Our aim In Penygaer is to ensure that each of our learners with ALN are supported in an inclusive environment so they can overcome barriers to learning and achieve their full potential. To enable this to happen we believe in creating a strong home/school partnership based on mutual respect, ensuring we all work together with the common goal of supporting the needs of each learner. We are of the belief that ALL teachers are teachers of learners with additional learning needs and our provision reflects our inclusive ethos.