At Garth Primary School we are a fully inclusive education system where all learners are given the opportunity to succeed and 'Reach for the stars'. Children have access to an education that meets their needs and enables them to participate in, benefit from, and enjoy their learning.

From September 2021, the current Special Education Needs Framework changed with a new and reformed system called the Additional Learning Needs and Educational Tribunal of Wales ACT.

All schools in Wales are required to make changes to their current systems and we are currently working as a school and within the Maesteg cluster to ensure the smooth transition and a consistent approach.

additional-learning-needs-aln-transformation-programme-guide.pdf

Our Universal School Provision will meet the needs of most of our learners. Some learners may need to access specific interventions which are designed to support them when they need some extra help, catch up or maintain the progress they have been making with their learning.

At Garth, Universal provision includes:

• whole class teaching
• effective differentiation
• collaborative group work
• individual and small group intervention
• appropriate and reasonable adjustments to enable access to the school environment, curriculum and facilities.

Most children at Garth will make expected progress from different starting points. To identify those children who have an additional need will need to collect data and evidence over time. This may include:

• Screening and assessments
• Observations
• Assessments of day to day learning
• Monitoring progress over time
• Assessments and observations taken from other agencies.

Children who do not make expected progress over time will be considered to have additional needs. In the ALN Code this is characterised as progress which:

• is significantly slower than that of their peers starting from the same baseline
• fails to match or better the child’s previous rate of progress
• fails to close, or widens the attainment gap between the child and their peers despite the provision of support aimed at closing that gap

When children do not make the expected progress with Universal Provision and following thorough investigation and evidence gathering a child may be identified as having Additional Learning Needs (ALN).

Definition of Additional Learning Needs in Wales:

1. A child has ALN if he or she has a learning difficulty or disability (whether the learning difficulty or disability arises from a medical condition or otherwise) which calls for additional learning provision beyond the Universal Provision provided for all learners.

2. A child of compulsory school age that has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she 

• has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or 
• has a disability for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010 which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities for education or training of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream- maintained schools

3. A child under compulsory school age has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she is, or would be if no additional learning provision were made, likely to be within sub section (2) when of compulsory school age

4. A person does not have a learning difficulty or disability solely because of the language (or form of language) in which he or she is or will be taught is different from a language (or form of language) which is or has been used at home.

If you think your child is experiencing difficulties in learning or if you have any queries about Additional Learning Needs, please contact Miss C. Griffiths who is our ALN Coordinator and she will be able to help you with your enquiry.