‘Welsh Government shows it is listening to learners and parents with new bill’ says Cynon AM

Vikki Howells AM has welcomed the introduction of legislation that will support learners with additional learning needs. This landmark bill, if passed, will completely overhaul the system for supporting young people with ALN, affecting classrooms across Cynon Valley.

The Welsh Government will place young people at the heart of its decision making, aiming to transform the ALN system to secure a successful future for all learners.

Some of the main aims of the Bill are:

• To ensure the views of learners and parents are always considered so they view the planning process of their ALN provision as something which is done with them rather than to them and that the child or young person is at the centre of everything; and
• To create a single legislative system to support children and young people aged 0 to 25 who have ALN, instead of the two separate systems currently operating.

Nearly a quarter of learners in Wales will experience some form of additional learning need. The current legislative framework for supporting them is based on a model introduced more than 30 years ago, which is widely recognised to no longer be fit for purpose.

Vikki Howells AM said:-

“It is vital that every learner in Cynon Valley has access to education that recognises his or her individual learning needs.

“As a former teacher with 16 years experience of teaching students with a wide range of additional learning needs, I know first-hand that recognising and supporting these needs help learners to achieve greater educational outcomes and better emotional well-being, as well as improving their life chances.

“The current system has long needed an overhaul and it is encouraging to see the Welsh Government listening to the concerns of learners and parents.

“This is an issue that affects a quarter of learners in Wales and we have to get it right. The only way to improve additional learning needs is by putting learners first.”