ALN
Ysgol Bryn Tawe has an ethos of inclusion. The Additional Learning Needs Department therefore is committed to ensuring that all learners reach their potential and gain the skills needed to be active participants in their own education and of the wider community.
The department offers different layers of support, many pupils receive in-class support through our teaching assistants and others access specific support sessions with key staff.
The ALN Department also has a sensory room. The space provides multi-sensory resources to support a learners’ sensory needs to enable them to engage with learning. It is an area that provides a sense of calm and comfort which promotes self-regulation and improves focus.
The department also works closely with external agencies.
Ysgol Bryn Tawe has forged strong links with our feeder primary schools. For further information, please contact Mrs Angharad Stephens stephensa15@hwbcymru.net
What’s new?
The way that children and young people in Wales are supported is changing.
When will it happen?
The change will happen over 4 years in a phased approach. This means that there will be two systems running alongside each other from September 2021 to 2025.
How will ALN reform affect my child/young person?
Any changes to the level of support that they receive will take place as part of a review process and not because of the ALN Reform.
A new name - the terms “Special Educational Needs” (SEN) and “Learning Difficulties and/or Disabilities” (LDD) will be replaced with the new term “Additional Learning Needs” (ALN).
Wider age range - the system will support children and young people with ALN from the ages of 0 to 25 in Wales, whilst they are in further education (not higher education) or training.
One single plan - Individual Development Plans (IDP) will replace Educational Statements, Learning and Skills Plans and Individual Education Plans.
Pupil voice - the learners’ needs, views, wishes and feelings will be at the heart of the process. It will be with the pupil rather than for the pupil.
More working together - there will be closer working partnerships between parents/carers and all agencies working with the child/young person.
Welsh language support - if a child or young person needs their additional learning needs provision in Welsh, this must be written in the IDP and ‘all reasonable steps’ must be taken to secure the provision in Welsh.
Right to Tribunal - all children, their parents/carers, and young people up to the age of 25 will have the right to appeal to the Education Tribunal against decisions made in relation to their ALN or their IDP. Children and young people must be provided with access to independent advocacy services.
There are two key documents:
https://gov.wales/additional-learning-needs-and-education-tribunal-wales-act
https://gov.wales/additional-learning-needs-code
These will make sure that the new ALN system has clear and legal boundaries within which local authorities and schools must act.
FAQs
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This is a legal document that will contain information about the child/young person and an outline of their additional learning needs. It will clearly set out the support they will receive to help them. The IDP will have details of targets and strategies for the child/young person that are different from, or in addition to, those that are active for the rest of the group/class.
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An IDP is available to children and young people with additional learning needs no matter the severity or complexity of their needs. It can be prepared for children and young people up to the age of 25 if they are in education, further education or training and have ALN.
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The child/young person is at the centre of the IDP, and they will be asked their thoughts, views and wishes.
Parents/carers will also be asked to give their views on the nature of the ALN and how they would like to see their child/young person supported.
Any external agencies working with the child/young person will also be asked to contribute to the IDP. This could be from health, social services or other agencies involved in care and support.
The school will hold meetings where everyone can share their ideas and the most important targets and methods of support that are agreed upon will be written into the IDP.
There will be one named person with the responsibility for making sure the plan is working and kept up to date.
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A meeting will be held annually where the IDP will be reviewed. The child/young person, their parents/carers and all professionals working with the learner will be invited to attend and give their views. Any changes to the IDP will be discussed and recorded.
Meetings can be requested, should there be any change in the ALN or provision, in addition to the annual review.
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The OPP sets out what people like and admire about them, what is important to the learner and how best to support them. It is not statutory.
A child/young person with ALN will have an IDP which sets out what must be done to support them and how that will be carried out. Their one-page profile makes up part of this document. This is a statutory document.
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The support that a child/young person with ALN receives is called Additional Learning Provision and is recorded in the IDP.
This will include:
* what’s in it for the child/young person (intended outcome),
* what the support will be,
* the language the ALP is to be delivered in,
* who is providing the support
* a start and finish date.
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Pupils and parents/carers and involved in writing the IDP and there are opportunities to discuss concerns at an early stage. However, disagreements can still arise.
In all cases it is important to contact the school to let them know how you feel about the IDP and to look to resolve the issue.
If a child/young person or their parent/carer is not happy with the decisions that have been made by the school, they may ask that the local authority reviews or reconsiders it.
Under the new ALN Reform there is the right to appeal to the Educational Tribunal Wales which is an independent body that will consider appeals where there is disagreement with the local authority.
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What is person-centered planning?
Person-centred planning and person-centred reviews put the learner at the middle of the process and asks for their views and feelings along with those of family, friends, teachers and any other professionals working with the child/young person; their circle of support. Person-centred planning is a collection of tools and approaches that are used to plan with and not for the child/young person. It includes what is happening now and what would make a good future.
Through this approach, very specific person-centred outcomes can be shown.
When the IDP is reviewed, the meeting will be person-centred and focus on:
what people like and admire about the learner
the aspirations of the learner and their family
understanding what is important to the learner outcomes
opportunities to ask questions
Access Arrangements
Access Arrangements allow candidates with additional learning needs, disabilities or temporary injuries to access assessment without changing the demands of the assessment. These are called reasonable adjustments and are required by the Awarding Bodies under The Equality Act of 2010.
Access Arrangements must be agreed with the Awarding Body in advance. For this to happen, the learner undergoes a series of assessments which are recognised by the Joint Council for Qualifications as being appropriate for this purpose. These will then show the most suitable form of access arrangement(s) to apply for.
The adjustment must also be the learner’s “usual way of working” so if they have a word processor for the examination, they must have evidence of the work they do in class also being on a word processor.
Examples of Access Arrangements include:
additional time
reader
word processor
scribe
prompter
practical assistant
enlarged papers
modified papers
coloured papers
small/individual room
rest breaks
For many pupils, the use of access arrangements begins in Key Stage 3 where they access readers, word processor and extra time for example.
If you feel your child/young person falls under the EAA remit, please speak to the school.
ALN Provision
Universal Provision
It is the responsibility of all teachers and staff within the school to make learning and the environment as accessible as possible for all learners. Staff have access to class profiles which outline the needs of each pupil, and the necessary strategies should they have any learning difficulties.
Teachers will be able to use this information to help them plan their lessons and assessments.
Universal provision is the name given to all forms of support that are available to all pupils, whether they have an ALN or not.
Some of Ysgol Bryn Tawe’s universal provision is listed below:
| Category | Support/Interventions |
|---|---|
| Cognition and Learning |
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| Communication and Interaction |
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| Social, Emotional and Behavioural |
|
| Physical and Sensory |
|
Support for Specific Learning Difficulties
Pupils with specific learning difficulties, including dyslexia, can have more specialist teaching sessions, either as an individual or in a small group. Here they can build on their phonological awareness, auditory processing skills, memory, word retrieval and planning/organisational skills as well as supporting their reading and spelling development.
Find Us
Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bryn Tawe
Heol Gwyrosydd
Penlan
Abertawe
SA5 7BU