Agenda item

To receive a report providing the committee with an update on the progress made to ensure the Local Authority and schools are meeting their statutory requirements under the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act, 2018 (copy attached).

10:10am – 10:40am

The Lead Member for Education, Children and Young People, alongside the Head of Education, presented the Additional Learning Needs (ALN) Transformation Update September 2024 report (previously circulated).  The report aimed to provide a further update on the progress made to ensure the Local Authority and schools were meeting their statutory requirements under the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act, 2018. 

The update focused on the progress in implementing the Welsh Government’s ALN reforms, which were aimed at improving support for children and young people with learning difficulties.  During the past year, Denbighshire’s education team successfully transitioned from the old Special Educational Needs (SEN) system to the new ALN framework. The transition included the introduction of Individual Development Plans (IDPs), which replaced the existing statements of SEN. These IDPs ensured a more personalised approach to supporting learners, aligning with the new legislative requirements outlined in the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018.

Officers reported that all staff supporting students with ALN had undergone comprehensive training. This training equipped them to handle the new processes and ensured that they could effectively collaborate with schools, parents, and other stakeholders. Additionally, efforts had been made to improve multi-agency cooperation, particularly with health and social services, to provide a more holistic approach to learner support.

The update highlighted several challenges encountered during the transformation, particularly around resource allocation and meeting the increased assessments demand. Despite these, officers had met critical deadlines set by the Welsh Government to implement the new system.  The Head of Education advised that the Service was constantly monitoring and scrutinising schools’ compliance with the Act’s requirements, as were Estyn.  Since the pandemic approximately half of the county’s schools had been inspected by Estyn, of the 26 schools inspected only one had received a recommendation relating to improving the provision of ALN services.

Responding to Members questions the Lead Member, officers and the Primary Headteacher:

• confirmed that there was a robust communication plan in place to inform parents on the requirements placed on local education authorities (LEA) and schools by the 2018 Act and how the LEA and schools proposed to deliver the duties placed upon them. This helped to manage expectations.  All the details and information on the work carried was available on the Council’s website. There was also much communication between local schools, which helped with sharing lessons learnt, best practice etc.  This was in addition to regional and national work to share best practice and support a consistent approach for the transformation process.  All the open dialogue made the process somewhat easier.
• advised that whilst funding was currently available for the 2 temporary ALN advisory teachers posts until August 2025 the financial situation was difficult for the entire Council, and some difficult decisions would need to be made regarding the funding for the next financial year. The demand for ALN support was increasing, nevertheless the Service had to prioritise all educational needs and deliver its services within the budget that was available to it.
• confirmed that the education team took a multidisciplinary approach to meet the needs of each individual. The Inclusion Officer—ALN Implementation added that there were close working relationships with the health board and children's services to ensure that the needs of the individuals were met and wherever possible tailored accordingly to support their unique needs.
• agreed with members that budget constraints and the staffing shortages across all sectors was an ever-present challenge, particularly recruiting  specialist staff. However, each school had an Additional Learning Needs Co-ordinator (ALNCo) who worked with the school to mitigate the challenges that arose. Each school’s ALNCo worked closely with their counterparts in their school cluster to support each other, share experiences and best practice. The headteacher of Ysgol Penmorfa illustrated how that school were currently facing challenges as their ALNCo had recently stood down. in the interim her and the deputy headteacher were maintaining the workload but were extremely grateful for the support and advice provided by the LEA as and when they required it.

Following an in-depth discussion, the Committee:

Resolved:  subject to the above observations and acknowledging both the local and national challenges faced in meeting the statutory requirements of the Additional Learning Needs (ALN) and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018, to –

(i)   congratulate all stakeholders and endorse the work undertaken to date to deliver the transformation work required to comply with the duties placed upon them under the Act; and

(ii)  request that a further progress report be presented to the Committee in twelve months’ time when all schools and the Local Education Authority (LEA) are expected to be fully compliant with the duties placed upon under the Act.