Additional Learning Needs

Students in mainstream, are identified on the ALN Register as being statemented (S) will:

  • Be easily identified on school register class lists
  • Have details relating to their difficulties, strengths, assessments, advice, in the form of a Pupil Profile available for all staff to view.
  • Have Learning and or Behaviour targets identified and strategies in place for the students to make progress (IEP/IBP)
  • Have some intervention by in-class Teaching Assistants helping to ensure access to the curriculum and or will have some Intervention programmes such as Volunteer Reading Programme, STAIRS, Lexia computer reading/spelling programme, Numeracy Catch up such as Wave3 and Springboard, SpLD Interventions, SLCD support, ASD support and School Support Centre intervention etc.

Students’ progress is monitored through subject assessments, Intervention programmes’ assessments and TA Reports and support adjusted accordingly. Resources are matched as far as possible to need and a Provision Map records all interventions.  Good progress is celebrated through the school’s reward system.

Teaching Assistant Support

Whitchurch High School has a large team of Teaching Assistants.  Operating as a team, they provide support to both students in the SRB and in mainstream classes.  Their role is to support identified students in order to raise pupil achievement. They work with individuals in classes, in small groups both in and out of the classroom, depending on their level of expertise. Some TAs are trained to deliver specific intervention strategies such as Speech, Language and Communication support and support for students with Specific Learning Difficulties, as well as those with numeracy, literacy, behavioural, emotional or social difficulties.  TAs keep detailed records of the support undertaken which is reviewed by the ALNCO and the school.

Resources

Additional resources are provided for students with Statements, as itemised in Part 3 of the Statement. These are provided by the Achievement and Inclusion Service (A&I) and could include Specialist teacher advice for SLCD, ASD, BESD, VI, HI etc. Additional TA support for a specified number of hours in order to deliver a set programme or to assist the pupil at unstructured times in the school day. Specialist equipment could be provided such as a lap-top or chair for a physically disabled pupil.

Additional Learning Needs Information

The Welsh Government is changing the way that children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) will be supported. The Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018 makes provision for a new statutory framework for supporting children and young people with additional learning needs (ALN) from the age of 0-25:

“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.”

The ALN system aims to transform the expectations, experiences and outcomes for children and young people with ALN placing learners’ views at the heart of the process. From September 2021, this system began to come into force with a three-year phased implementation period. A series of links and documents below provide additional information on the Act.

 

School Funding for ALN

Under the previous SEN system, Cardiff has provided every school with a budget for learners at ‘School Action’ or ‘School Action Plus’, and a ‘Complex Needs Enhancement’ budget for named learners with a statement of SEN. For further information on how Cardiff Council is changing the way we fund our schools to support children and young people with Additional Learning Needs (ALN) please click here.

If you'd like to discuss anything further, please contact Mrs Laura Morgan our Additional Learning Needs Manager.