1. The ALN Transformation Programme
What is the ALN Transformation Programme?
A programme to transform the education and support for tens of thousands of children and young people with additional learning needs (ALN), improve their educational experience and help them realise their potential.
The Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Bill is the cornerstone of this programme – but in addition to changes in the law, are changes in culture and practice, which will deliver the improved outcomes for learners we are striving for.
ALN transformation is a fundamental element of wider education reform – the evidence is clear, if we get it right for ALN learners, we get it right for all learners.
The ALN Transformation Programme

2. The Additional Learning Needs transformation programme
Consists of 5 main themes:
Legislation and statutory guidance
Implementation/ transition support
Workforce development
Awareness-raising
Supporting policy
The ALN transformation programme consists of 5 main themes which I will discuss throughout the presentation however in summary these are:
1. Legislation and statutory guidance - the process of developing the legislative framework, including the Bill, regulations and the new ALN Code;
2. Implementation/ transition support - activities to support partners to prepare, plan and manage implementation and transition to the new system;
3. Workforce development - aimed at three levels: core skills development for all practitioners supporting learners with ALN; advanced skills development through the development of the role of Additional Learning Needs Coordinators (ALNCo); and specialist skills development for local authority-provided specialist support services;
4. Awareness-raising - activities to engage stakeholders about their new legislative duties, and to explain and promote the system and the rights it confers to children, young people and parents; and
5. Supporting policy - including developing resources to help all those in the system understand the evidence for best practice, what can be expected from interventions, the interventions that are likely to be most effective, and the role of professionals to help ensure realistic expectations and effective deployment of resources.

3. The Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Bill
The Bill will create the legislative framework to improve the planning and delivery of additional learning provision, through a person-centred approach to identifying needs early, putting in place effective support and monitoring and adapting interventions to ensure they deliver desired outcomes.
The Bill was introduced to the National Assembly for Wales on 12 December 2016.
The Bill is the main focus of the Legislation and Statutory guidance strand and will create the legislative framework for transforming the system. It was introduced into the National Assembly for Wales in December 2016 and reached the second stage of the Assembly scrutiny process in June. The first stage of the process, which is the consultation phase on the general principles of the Bill, involved Assembly committees taking verbal and written evidence from a wide range of stakeholders and from children and young people and parents. The Minister with responsibility for the Bill, Alun Davies AM, also attended 4 separate committee sessions to provide evidence.
3 Assembly Committees – the Children, Young People and Education Committee; the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee; and the Finance Committee – published stage 1 reports on the Bill at the end of May There was then a debate and vote on the general principles of the Bill on 6 June and AMs agreed the Bill should move to the next stage of the process - Stage 2, which is an amending stage, and has a greater focus on the detail and specific areas for amendment.
If you're interested in reading the reports themselves or any other materials, evidence or correspondence relating to the scrutiny of the Bill thus far, it's all available on the Assembly's website (

4. The Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Bill
Introduce the term Additional Learning Needs (ALN) – To replace the terms Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Learning Difficulties and/or Disabilities (LDD).
0-25 age range – All children and young people will have the same rights to receive the provision they require, as well as improving transition between school and post-16 education.
A single statutory plan – The Individual Development Plan (IDP). This will replace the variety of statutory and non-statutory plans for learners in schools and FE.

5. The Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Bill
Increased participation of children and young people – Learners’ opinions, along with those of their parents, should always be considered as part of the planning process.
High aspirations and improving outcomes – Emphasis on delivering tangible outcomes that contribute to the child or young person’s achievement of their full potential.
Simpler and less adversarial – A simpler process to provide and revise an IDP to ensure it continually meets the needs of the learner.
Increased collaboration – Reforms will encourage improved collaboration and information sharing between agencies.

6. The Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Bill
Earlier disagreement resolution – Where disagreements occur the matter should be considered and resolved at the most local level possible.
Clear and consistent rights of appeal – All children, their parents and young people will have a right to appeal to the Tribunal where disagreements can not be resolved at a local level.
A mandatory Code – The primary legislation will be supported by the ALN Code which will provide both mandatory requirements and statutory guidance.

7. The Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Bill
The Bill will be supported by:
Regulations – secondary legislation where further detail is required.
Additional Learning Needs Code – statutory guidance and mandatory requirements to help people and organisations work within the law.
The Bill is expected to complete its Assembly stages by the end of 2017, with Royal Assent following early in It is at this point when the Welsh Government will shift its focus to the secondary legislation , including a number of sets of regulations and a new ALN Code. The Code will replace the current SEN Code of Practice and will inform people of their legal duties – it will be the handbook for the new system.
The Welsh Government has already made available 2 drafts of the Code. The first during the consultation on the draft Bill in 2015, and the second in February 2017 to aid scrutiny of the Bill. The next draft will be the version that is published for consultation, which is expected to happen in early 2018 at the same time as a consultation on the draft regulations. The consultation responses will be used to make the necessary amendments to the regulations and Code which will all then be laid before the National Assembly for Wales for approval. The existing duties within the current SEN code of practice will need to be met until the new system is formally implemented.
The current version of the draft Code is available on the National Assembly for Wales website alongside the Bill.

8. Implementation of the ALN Bill
A consultation on options for implementing the ALN Bill closed on 09 June 2017.
The consultation responses will be reviewed and used to inform the Welsh Governments thinking on how we move to the new system.
Assuming that there are no further delays to the legislative process for the Bill and the consultation and Assembly consideration of the secondary legislation is relatively straightforward, the aim is to have the complete package of new law and the Code approved and in place by the end of From early 2019 there will then be an extensive programme of training and professional development on the basis of the new Code, ahead of roll-out of the new system.
Exactly how the new system will be rolled out is under consideration, following a consultation on options for implementing the new ALN system which closed in June A summary of the responses to the consultation will be published in the autumn alongside the Government’s response, which will set out its proposed approach and timing for implementation.

9. Implementation of the ALN Bill
Please use this slide to explain how, as an organisation ,you are engaging with the reforms e.g via the ALN strategic implementation group or its expert groups.

10. Implementation/ transition support
To help prepare for the new system the Welsh Government will be investing £20m over the next 4 years.
£1.1m of that investment is being provided via the ALN Innovation fund.
This strand of the ALN Transformation programme is about supporting the whole system to change working practices and culture, developing relationships and multi-agency working practices and working with partners on the Code and implementation planning.
Much of this will be supported with financial investment from the Welsh Government - the Minister for Lifelong Learning and Welsh Language has announced £20m investment between and to support partners to successfully implement and deliver the new ALN system.
Some of the funding to implement the new system – £10.1m – has been allocated as part of a wider commitment to provide an additional £100m to improve school standards over the course of this Assembly term. The aim is to raise standards and extend opportunities for all our young people – children and young people with additional learning needs make up almost a quarter of our school population; we cannot raise standards without targeting resources and improvement activities towards this group of learners.
The ALN Innovation Fund is a pre-legislative grant to support collaborative projects between a wide range of agencies involved in supporting learners with ALN. It aims to support the identification and development of innovative practice which improves systems, arrangements and relationships in readiness for roll-out of the forthcoming legislative changes. The learning from the projects funded by the grant scheme will be shared across Wales and will provide a key opportunity to develop ways of working consistent with the reforms and influence the approach to transformation and implementation.

11. Implementation/ transition support
Please use this slide to highlight how you are preparing for implementation. For example:
Person-centred practice (PCP) training
Innovation fund projects
Implementation plan
Engaging with regional/ FE transformation lead etc

12. Workforce Development
A skilled workforce is central to the transformation programme and will impact at three levels:
Core skills development for all practitioners to support a wide range of low complexity, high incidence ALN within settings and access to ongoing professional development;
Advanced skills development through the development of the role of Additional Learning Needs Coordinators (ALNCo), who will replace current SENCos;
Specialist skills development through a national workforce planning system for LA-provided specialist support services available to education settings, e.g. educational psychologists and teachers of the visually or hearing impaired.
Core skills development – the Welsh Government is commissioning a training programme to provide a multi agency training package to be rolled out in time for implementation.
Advanced skills development – the Welsh Government is developing a progression pathway for ALNCos.
Specialist skills development - the WLGA has conducted a survey on local authority specialist support services, the data of which will be analysed and used to inform future specialist workforce planning.

13. Workforce Development
Please use this slide to highlight any training available to your employees/ from your organisation which will support getting ready for the new system.

14. Awareness Raising Essential to help all those in the system understand
the evidence for best practice,
what can be expected from interventions,
the interventions that are likely to be most effective, and
the role of professionals
to help ensure realistic expectations and effective deployment of resources.
The Welsh Government has already published a suite of materials to help those interested understand the reforms and how they might work in practice. As the Bill passes through the legislative process and we move into the implementation phase more guidance will be available and will be published here:
You could use this opportunity to promote any materials you have produced as an organisation.

15. Supporting Policy
Important not to lose sight of the provision of effective policy guidance to ensure that good practice is supported and embedded in the current SEN system as well as the future ALN system.
This strand of the programme is focused on producing policy and guidance to ensure that good practice is supported and embedded in the current special educational needs (SEN) system as well as the future system.
This year to support practitioners the Welsh Government have published guidance on:
post-16 funding for learners with learning difficulties at specialist colleges
the role of the SENCo
supporting learners with specific learning difficulties
supporting learners with healthcare needs

16. Progress and next steps
Regional and Further Education transformation leads
Transition guide
Readiness, compliance and impact monitoring
In July the Minister announced that the Welsh Government will be funding the creation of five ‘transformation lead’ posts. Four of the transformation leads will operate on the regional education consortia footprint and there will be a further education transformation lead who will work on a pan-Wales basis. The leads will play a critical role in the implementation strategy, ensuring delivery partners are prepared, resourced, trained and are working together for the benefit of children and young people with additional learning needs, making sure these learners are at the centre of everything. The transformation leads will coordinate activities using local authority implementation grants pooled on a regional basis. This will ensure WG investment is maximised by exploiting economies of scale and facilitating improved regional planning and working. It will also help ensure bureaucracy around the grants is minimised and the focus is on service delivery and value for money.
The Welsh Government will be publishing a transition guide for all sectors to ensure a smooth change from one system to another.
The Welsh Government will ensure that implementation of the Bill is monitored closely, that issues are effectively addressed for the benefit of children and young people, and that best practice is being identified and shared across Wales. The approach will consider implementation in stages:
O Readiness: assessing the extent to which local authorities and other delivery agents are prepared for the changes ahead
O Compliance: how effectively they are complying with the new legislative requirements once they take effect
O Impact: how and the extent to which the changes are embedding and making an impact on outcomes for learners.

17. Progress and next steps
You may wish to add here your next steps as an organisation

18. www.gov.wales/ALN SENreforms@wales.gsi.gov.uk
You may also wish to add your contact details to this slide