Welsh Government accused of diverting funding away from ALN children

Emily Price 

Warnings have emerged that more than £500 million in “critical” funding for children with Additional Learning Needs (ALN) could be diverted to other priorities, despite pressure on Welsh ministers to protect the investment.

School leaders’ union NAHT Cymru says they have been told that funding generated through Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision in England has not been ring-fenced for ALN in Wales.

The union says the Welsh Government has instead chosen to allocate resources across a range of priorities in its spending plans.

School leaders have warned this decision will see Welsh pupils being “unfairly disadvantaged”.

The Welsh Government says it’s committed to ensuring the ALN system in Wales is “sustainable”.

On Tuesday (June 23), the new Plaid Cymru-led administration will deliver its first supplementary budget, with Finance Minister Elin Jones due to set out targeted revenue and capital allocations for key priorities.

School leaders sent over 5,000 letters to ministers ahead of the announcement calling for the the full consequential funding arising from SEND spending in England to be allocated to ALN provision in Wales.

Ministers were also urged to ensure the funding would be passed on to local authorities and schools delivering support on the ground.

‘Demand’

Laura Doel, National Secretary of NAHT Cymru says that despite the strength of feeling across the sector, these calls have not been met.

She said: “We recognise the very real challenges facing Welsh Government and the difficult decisions ministers must make when allocating funding across public services.

“However, school leaders across Wales will be extremely disappointed that this funding has not been directed specifically to ALN provision, particularly given the scale of demand and the pressures currently facing schools and local authorities.

“The response over the past week has been remarkable. More than 5,000 people took the time to write directly to ministers to highlight the importance of this investment.

“That in itself reflects how critical this issue is for schools and the learners they support.

“This funding arose from investment in supporting children with additional needs elsewhere in the UK.

“Many will therefore question why it has not been used to strengthen provision for learners with ALN in Wales.

“Demand for ALN support has increased significantly in recent years, with cost more than doubling over the last decade, rising significantly faster than available funding.

“Schools and local authorities are working incredibly hard to meet learners’ needs, but additional investment remains urgently needed.

“This decision will come at a cost and continued underfunding of ALN will mean learners will not get the support they deserve and spiralling costs for schools will undoubtably lead to further redundancies of teachers and teaching assistants – the very people we rely on to deliver.

“If education is a key priority for this government, it needs to demonstrate it through action not just warm words.

“We hope that Welsh Government will continue to work with the sector to ensure that ALN provision is sustainably funded in the longer term, and that the needs of these learners remain a clear priority in future spending decisions.”

‘Pressures’

The Conservatives in the Senedd have urged the Welsh Government to clarify what the funding for ALN provision will be spent on instead.

A spokesperson for the party said: “The Welsh Conservative support proper funding for children with additional needs.

“It is very disappointing that money being given to the Welsh Government to support ALN is not be handed over for this purpose.

“Plaid Cymru need to tell us why not and explain exactly what the money is being spent on.”

In a post to Facebook, Reform’s Shadow Cabinet Minister for Finance and Government Efficiency Cai Parry-Jones said: “If you like seeing money being taken away from children will additional learning needs, you’re going to love Plaid’s first budget.”

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We understand the significant pressures on schools, local authorities, and families to support learners with ALN.

“We are committed to working in partnership with local government and our partners across the education sector to develop a plan with short, medium and longer term actions to address these pressures, and make the ALN system in Wales sustainable.”