(UK) Wales: "Growing complexity of need. . .unsustainable financial strain"
- 17 minutes ago
- 2 min read
More than 40,000 pupils across all Welsh schools have been identified as having additional learning needs (ALN), and calls are now growing for allocation of funds to support them.
Welsh Labour councillors in Caerphilly and across Wales have joined demands for the government to use part of a £340 million [$455M] funding boost, generated as a consequential from UK Government spending on Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) in England but not currently earmarked for ALN services in Wales.
Lynne Neagle MS, Welsh Labour’s education spokesperson, said: "It is astounding that the Plaid Cymru Government are not giving any extra support to these children.
"Our additional learning needs system is under extreme pressure.
"Children and young people's needs require more complex, intensive and long-term support.
"The pressures they face in England exist here in Wales too, and school reserves don't have sufficient headroom to absorb ongoing cost increases."
Critics argue that Welsh pupils are being left behind.
All 22 local authorities in Wales, alongside every teaching union in the country, have urged the government to direct the funding to schools.
The Welsh Government has stated that the consequential funding arose from the UK Treasury writing off historical debts held by English councils for ALN services.
Finance Minister Elin Jones said these debts did not exist in the same way in Wales and therefore the funding is not specifically ringfenced for ALN provision.
The government has indicated that it may consider directing ALN funding into the budget from 2028-29 onwards. . . .
The Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) has warned that the growing complexity of need is placing unsustainable financial strain on councils.
They described education as "one of the most acute pressures highlighted by councils," and noted that "ALN spending accounts for more than a quarter of all school budget pressures."
Cabinet Minister for Education Anna Brychan MS acknowledged the pressures but stopped short of promising immediate additional funding.
In a statement to the Senedd on June 17, she committed to "developing a sustainable model for ALN education following years of significant pressure." . . .
Comments