Education

Additional Learning Needs support in Wales under strain, says Audit Wales

Published

2 months ago

April 7, 2026

THE SYSTEM supporting children and young people with Additional Learning Needs in Wales is facing serious pressures that could threaten its long-term sustainability, according to a new report from Audit Wales.

Published on Tuesday (Apr 7), the report examines support for children and young people with Additional Learning Needs, or ALN, in the context of changes introduced under the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018.

Audit Wales said public bodies do not have a full understanding of demand, workforce capacity, skills, costs or outcomes, leaving them without the information needed for effective planning, budgeting and value-for-money assessments.

The report raises concerns about whether the current system is performing well enough to help learners achieve their full potential.

In 2024-25, 48,257 learners aged from nought to 25 were recorded as having ALN or Special Educational Needs. However, Audit Wales said that figure is incomplete and does not capture the full picture across all settings.

Available data shows the number of school learners recorded as having ALN or SEN fell by 58 per cent between 2018-19 and 2024-25, although the reasons for that drop are disputed. Over the same period, the number of school learners receiving statutory support through a statement of SEN, or now an Individual Development Plan, increased by 164 per cent.

The report says spending on supporting learners with ALN has also risen significantly, adding pressure to already stretched public budgets. While Audit Wales said it could not put an exact figure on total spending, identifiable annual costs are approaching £1 billion, with the true figure likely to be higher.

Councils’ budgeted expenditure on ALN or SEN rose by 34 per cent in real terms between 2018-19 and 2025-26.

Audit Wales said its conclusions were based on evidence showing that the system lacks good enough data to understand growing demand and complexity, while patchy workforce information makes it harder to assess staffing capacity and skills gaps. It also found that public bodies do not have a strong enough understanding of costs, raising concerns about financial sustainability.

The report adds that although the goals of the ALN system are clear, there is only limited evidence on whether it is delivering strong outcomes for learners, and that the system remains adversarial despite some signs of improvement.

Its recommendations are aimed mainly at the Welsh Government, particularly in its national leadership role, although Audit Wales said successful implementation would require action from a wide range of public bodies.

Auditor General Adrian Crompton said: “Children and young people with Additional Learning Needs include some of the most vulnerable people in society.

“There has been a significant amount of work involved in efforts to reform the system for the better over recent years. However, the system remains under strain and there is still a lot more that can be done to ensure it does as well as it can for our children and young people, both now and for future generations.”

The 2018 Act introduced a new system designed to create a more integrated, collaborative and person-centred approach to supporting learners with ALN. It extended statutory provision to learners aged nought to 25 and replaced the previous separate systems for under-16s with SEN and post-16 learners with learning difficulties or disabilities.

A major part of the reform was the introduction of Individual Development Plans, which replaced both non-statutory SEN support and statutory statements of SEN. Under the new system, every learner with ALN is entitled to an IDP.

Audit Wales stressed that the figure of 48,257 learners does not include all settings for learners aged nought to 25, including further education, meaning the overall scale of need may be higher than official data suggests.

For more information, contact Rhian Jones at Audit Wales on 02920 320 575 or by email at [email protected]
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Cymraeg

Welsh language report says students face mixed experiences across colleges and universities

Published

3 days ago

May 21, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A NEW report has found that Welsh-speaking students face inconsistent access to Welsh language services across Wales’ colleges and universities.

The research, published by the Welsh Language Commissioner on Monday (May 25), gathered responses from more than 1,500 further and higher education students.

It examined four key areas: whether students can submit written work in Welsh, choose accommodation with Welsh-speaking students, access a Welsh-speaking personal tutor, and receive wellbeing support through the medium of Welsh.

The report also looked at the wider language culture on campuses, including how institutions promote Welsh language services and support students to use Welsh naturally in academic and social settings.

Osian Llywelyn, Deputy Welsh Language Commissioner, said colleges and universities had a vital role in helping students use Welsh as part of everyday life.

He said: “Given the importance of sustaining and developing the continued use of the Welsh language, it is essential to recognise the key role that further education colleges and higher education institutions play in ensuring that students have the opportunity to use Welsh naturally as part of their academic and social lives.

“While it is encouraging to see strong examples of good practice, that experience is not consistent across the sector. As a result, we have identified clear improvement actions, and we will be asking the relevant institutions to address them.”

Five improvement actions have been identified. These include standardising Welsh-medium assessment arrangements, proactively offering Welsh language services rather than simply making them available on request, addressing gaps in workforce Welsh-language skills, strengthening students’ sense of belonging through Welsh, and improving self-assessment and monitoring.

James Owen, Chief Executive of Medr, the body responsible for funding and regulating tertiary education in Wales, said the findings showed the need for more support across the sector.

He said Medr’s new Welsh Language Condition would place a clearer focus on providers promoting and supporting the use of Cymraeg, and on creating formal and informal opportunities for staff and learners to develop their Welsh-language skills.

Ioan Matthews, Chief Executive of Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, said students’ experiences of Welsh at college or university could influence their willingness and ability to use the language later in the workplace.

He said the report showed the need for the Welsh-language experience to extend “well beyond the classroom”.

The report will be officially launched at the Welsh Language Commissioner’s stand at the Urdd Eisteddfod in Anglesey at 11:00am on Monday (May 25).

Education

£1,500 cash bursary announced for aspiring local youngsters

Published

4 days ago

May 20, 2026

Sarah Jane Absalom

FOLLOWING its previous success, Ceredigion Youth Service is fortunate to accept another opportunity provided by West Wales Holiday Cottages to support young people with a cash bursary this year.

The purpose of the bursary is to provide young people aged between 11 and 25 with the chance to receive £1,500 to help with their future aspirations. The successful applicant(s) will be chosen by Ceredigion Youth Forum, which is a panel made up of young people from Ceredigion.

Gwion Bowen, Senior Support Officer Participation, said: “We are very grateful to West Wales Holiday Cottages for providing us with this opportunity for young people in Ceredigion for the ninth year in succession. Like ourselves, West Wales Holiday Cottages recognise that many young people living in Ceredigion may experience difficulties in accessing training, support and social activities due to socio-economic issues. The bursary was extremely successful last year, with a young person gaining financial support to help them with their mobile beauty start up business.”

Councillor Wyn Thomas, Cabinet for Schools and Lifelong Learning, said: “I would like to encourage anyone aged between 11 and 25 who needs financial support to reach their goals to consider this fantastic opportunity. As with previous years, I hope that the bursary is a success again this year, and that it will benefit young people in Ceredigion.”

Lisa Stopher, Managing Director at West Wales Holiday Cottages said, “West Wales Holiday Cottages are delighted to be supporting the bursary once again in partnership with Ceredigion Youth Service. We recognise that many young people can face barriers when accessing opportunities, training and resources, and we hope this bursary will continue to make a positive difference by giving young people the support they need to pursue their goals and aspirations.”

Do you need financial support to reach your goals? Would you benefit from having financial support to help you with training or equipment that is required for your chosen vocation? Are you looking for support to start your own enterprise? Are you a member of a community group and looking for financial support to purchase resources or equipment?

The closing date for applications is midnight on 19 July 2026. If you’re interested, contact Gwion Bowen on 07790 812939 or e-mail [email protected] for an application form.

Education

Ashmole & Co fund future accountants with financial donation to primary school

Published

4 days ago

May 20, 2026

Sarah Jane Absalom

CARMARTHENSHIRE’S would-be mathematicians are being given a major boost in their careers thanks to an Ashmole & Co donation to Ysgol Llandybie Primary School.

The donation, funded by the company’s Ammanford office, will help with the annual purchase of the online MyMaths resource which uses the online resource to help pupils and parents with the teaching of maths at home as well as allowing teachers to set tasks and provide them with tutorials to show them the mathematical concepts being taught.
The programme can assist in all areas of mathematics from shape to space, and from data to financial literacy.

Laura Craddock, Partner in Ashmole & Co’s Ammanford office, said, “We are always keen
to offer our support locally. We are more than happy to help fund the online resource
MyMaths to help train the local accountants of the future from a young age.”

Llandybie Primary School Head Teacher, Rhian Pritchard, said, “We are keen to continue
using online resources to enhance our pupils’ learning experience but they come at an extra
cost. We are grateful to Ashmole and Co for the donation which will enable us to continue
the provision of online maths learning.”