The Welsh Government is changing the way children and young people with Special Educational Needs are supported. The support children with SEN receive is called special educational provision (sometimes called SEP).

The old SEN system is being replaced with the new Additional Learning Needs system. The new ALN system strengthens the importance of providing information and support so that children, young people and their parents are involved as much as possible in the process and in decisions that affect them.

When the ALN system is introduced you will notice the following changes to what things are called:

• special educational needs (SEN) becomes additional learning needs (ALN)
• special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCos) become additional learning needs co-ordinators (ALNCos)
• special educational provision (SEP) becomes additional learning provision (ALP)
• plans such as individual education plans (IEPs), statements and learning and skills plans (LSPs) will be replaced with a new plan called an individual development plan (IDP)

Some things have not changed. Having ALN is the same as having SEN. This means that if a child or young person has SEN they are also likely to have ALN. And it means the special education provision children and young people get to help them learn at nursery, school, PRU or college because they have SEN will continue, if it is still required, but it will now be called additional learning provision.

Moving children from the SEN system to the ALN system will take place over 3 school years to make sure there is enough time for nurseries, schools, PRUs and local authorities to discuss the support needed and to prepare plans.   If you would like more information on how the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act will affect you and your children please take a look at the factsheet below:   Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act Factsheet   To familiarise yourself with the Additional Learning Needs Code for Wales please click the link below:   Additional Learning Needs Code for Wales