Are schools receving enough ALN support?

Councillors have asked whether Powys mainstream schools are receiving enough support to teach children with additional learning needs (ALN).

At a meeting of Powys County Council’s Learning and Skills Scrutiny Committee, councillors and lay members received a report on school standards and improvement.

The report included the education service’s integrated business plan (IBP) which is a response on how the council will try and change things to improve education in the county over the next five years.

The plan also includes a section on ALN which says that the council will: “strengthen the provision, and improve the outcomes,” for pupils with ALN.

A review is currently taking place which will inform the future direction Powys will take with ALN.

This follows a decision taken by the Liberal Democrat/Labour cabinet to agree a new ALN  and Inclusion Strategic Plan for Powys in Novermber last year.

Cllr Gareth E Jones (Powys Independents) “ALN is a major area that parents and school raise with me about the apparent lack of support being provided from the centre and I feel this paper is a little bit weak around that.”

Cllr Angela Davies (Liberal Democrat) said that Estyn had stated in their report that there were “a few examples” where schools support for ALN pupils had been effective.

Cllr Davies said: “In Estyn speak that’s less than 20 per cent.”

“We have some pupils with really dis-regulated behaviour patterns and that impacts on the whole class.

“Despite hearing from the authority that we support our ALN pupils, I’m afraid I’m not convinced.

Cllr Davies highlighted a recent positive Estyn inspection report for a primary school in Aberystwyth that highlighted the “inclusivity” of their ALN support.

Cllr Davies had noted they “have a special unit” in the school for their ALN pupils,

“Is this something we are missing and could learn from that school, how are we going to address it,” asked Cllr Davies.

Head of school improvement and learning Anwen Orrells pointed out that Penygloddfa primary school in Newtown had a “lovely spotlight” published within an Estyn inspection report published this year, that shows it is meeting the needs of pupils with ALN.

Mrs Orrells said: “There is good practice her in Powys as well.”

“To reassure you, the ALN team have engaged with headteachers and ALNCo’s  (specialist ALN teachers) across all clusters in Powys as part of that review.

“There will be further papers and recommendations coming forward in the new academic year.”

Cllr Davies said that this was a “disappointing answer.”

Mrs Orrells said that she could not provide a comprehensive answer ahead of the reports being published

Mrs Orrells explained that this is because some people “absolutely support” ALN pupils being taught in mainstream schools while others believe they should be taught in specialist “centres.”

“At the moment we don’t have a firm conclusion,” said Mrs Orrells.

Director of education Dr Richard Jones reminded the committee that Estyn in the scathing report they published on the education service in March had not made any “specific” recommendation on ALN in Powys.

Dr Jones said: “The work to review the relationship between mainstream and specialist schools is ongoing.

“There is an increasing demand in our schools.

“Our focus is on upskilling mainstream schools to meet the need."

By Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporting Service