Where ‘we’ or ‘us’ is used on this page it refers to Wrexham County Borough Council in the role of local authority.

We have a set of principles that we apply when determining whether it is reasonable for a school to arrange/provide the Additional Learning Provision (ALP) required by a pupil, or whether we should do so. 

Background to our Additional Learning Needs (ALN) principles
Our aims as an education provider

The principles

Along with governing bodies, we will apply the following principles when implementing the ALNET Act 2018 and applying the Code Of Practice:

  • Develop effective whole school provision for children and young people in all areas of need.
  • Take into account the views, wishes and feelings of children and young people and ensure their full participation where possible. 
  • Recognise the views of parents/carers to ensure they are fully engaged in decision making.
  • Ensure a clear process for identifying, assessing, planning, providing and reviewing for children and young people who have ALN with them and their parents/carers at the centre.
  • Provide a curriculum that is broad and balanced to engage all children and young people at all levels and to promote an inclusive culture of learning.
  • Ensure equality of provision for all children and young people, including but not exclusive to, those with ALN.
  • Enable children and young people with ALN to achieve their potential.
  • Provide advice and support for all staff working with children and young people with ALN.

Partnership with families  

Pupils are at the centre of everything we do and we will all work together with families to achieve the best outcomes for pupils. 

We are committed to establishing and maintaining good working relationships with the families of all pupils. We recognise the importance of communication between home, school and the local authority. 

Parents should be kept informed of learner’s progress and are encouraged to play an active part in learning and to support targets set. Parents with concerns about their child should discuss these first with the class teacher who will inform the Additional Learning Needs Co-ordinator (ALNCo) if necessary. 

Parents should be fully involved in the review process, with written information provided in accessible formats and sufficient notice is given for meetings to allow parents/carers time to prepare. 

We are fully committed to the principles set out in the Additional Learning Needs (ALN) Code for Wales, detailed in Chapter 3, including:

“3.1. The principles underpinning the ALN system aim to support the creation of a fully inclusive education system where all learners are given the opportunity to succeed and have access to an education that meets their needs and enables them to participate in, benefit from, and enjoy learning.

3.2. The principles underpinning the ALN system are:

(a)    A rights-based approach where the views, wishes and feelings of the child, child’s parent or young person are central to the planning and provision of support; and the child, child’s parent or young person is 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 and young people to achieve positive expectations, experiences and outcomes.
(d)    Inclusive education where the majority of children and young people with ALN are supported to participate fully in mainstream education and a whole setting 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 and young people who require support through the medium of Welsh, with scope for increasing the delivery of ALP in Welsh over time.”

We are also committed to taking into account the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) as set out in the code:

“3.11. The rights-based approach is strengthened further by the duties on local authorities and NHS bodies to have regard to the UNCRC and the UNCRPD when planning generally for the exercise of functions.”

Provision types

Universal provision

Universal learning provision is the support available to all learners; in both the school or setting, and in the classroom.

This would include:

  • Differentiation - is highly sophisticated, to the point where pupils recognise why they need to be extended or supported and participate in the planning of learning experiences.
  • Reasonable adjustments
  • High quality teaching

Universal targeted provision

Universal provision available to pupils who require targeted interventions when progress is not adequate.

The ALN code 2021 (page 37) emphasises the importance of early identification for support needs, as follows: 

“3.2 (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.” 

Where there is an identified lack of expected progress, there may be the need to put in place some intervention / strategies that target the child or young person’s area of weakness. The ALN Code 2021 (page 229) explains this as:

“20.14. Where progress is not adequate, it will be necessary to take some additional or different action to enable the learner to learn more effectively. 

The first response to inadequate progress would often be teaching targeted specifically at a learner’s areas of weakness. All education settings are expected to put in place differentiated teaching or other targeted interventions designed to secure better progress where appropriate, for all learners.

Indeed, most children and young people will require a differentiated approach in some aspect of their education at some point. This is a fundamental element of high quality – but routine – teaching.”

The code also explains that: 

“20.15. Such differentiated teaching does not, itself, constitute ALP and just because a child or young person requires a differentiated approach does not mean that they have ALN. ALP encompasses additional or different educational or training provision, which goes beyond that generally made available.”

Additional learning provision

This means provision that is additional to or different from what is generally given to other children / young people of the same age.

The ALN Code 2021 (page 230) describes that:

“20.16. Where progress continues to be less than expected and the application of differentiated teaching or standard targeted interventions have failed to address the attainment gap between the child or young person and their peers, this would usually indicate to the school, FEI or local authority that the child or young person may have ALN.”

In order to make a decision on the need for ALP (and indeed ALN) the school must have gathered together evidence, and there should have been an attempt to target specifically at the child or young person’s area of need using universal/ universal targeted provision.

We are in agreement with the principle of children attending their local school and becoming an integral part of their community, as described in the ALN code 2021 (page 37):

“3.2 (d) Inclusive education where the majority of children and young people with ALN are supported to participate fully in mainstream education and a whole setting approach is taken to meeting the needs of learners with ALN.”

To allow this, schools have delegated inclusion funding which is specifically for supporting those learners accessing universal provision, targeted provision and ALP.  Due to this, we expect that schools will be able to support the majority of learners without the need for support from us. 

The funding will cover staffing costs no matter the duration of the support required and resources that would be appropriate; in line with the schools' delegated funding. 

Only where a school has sufficient evidence to show that it is not reasonable for them to secure the ALP, will we consider any form of change of placement. Again this will not be considered without considerable evidence to show the extent of the ALN, the extent of ALP needed and that the school is unable to provide that. 

We will also expect that the school will have gone through the graduated approach with the child or young person and shown that interventions and advice on strategies have been followed for an adequate amount of time.

To facilitate this referral to us, the school would need to have the evidence as described earlier and bring the learner to the attention of the Additional Learning Needs Service.

ALP for a child or young person with more complex needs (where it is unreasonable for the school to secure the ALP) would consist of:

  • A placement in a specialist setting
  • A graduated response of ALP within a specialist setting depending upon the needs of the child or young person

Placements in specialist provision that we maintain, and out of county placements, are determined by our Inclusion Panel. In most circumstances, where it is determined that a learner needs specialist provision, we will direct the school to maintain the IDP.

Whilst the majority of IDPs will be maintained by schools, we will prepare and maintain IDPs for children and young people with ALN who are looked after, dual registered, or placed in a specialist independent setting.

Advice and assessments

We provide a range of specialist services which maintained settings can access through a combination of commissioned and centrally funded arrangements. These are free to all at the point of access. 

The extent and duration of advice is specific to each service and also the individual’s needs. 

Equipment

Schools will be expected to provide the majority of equipment that learners need; through their delegated budgets. 

However, where specialist health equipment is required, this will continue to be administered through the Specialist Equipment Panel which is accessed via health referrals (schools do not have direct access to this). This route is mostly via physiotherapy and occupational therapy.