Completed petition Reform of the additional learning needs Code of Wales 2021.
Despite only a couple of years into the changes and promises of earlier and better support for children and young people with ALN, more and more ALN pupils are being missed in Wales. There are also issues with consistency and accountability.
There is still a large focus on Universal Provisions as opposed to the holistic approach of Person Centred IDPs for ALN pupils. Pupils with mental health / physical disabilities should have equal access to support and a quality education.
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Children under the age of 5 years are being denied support based on an 'assumption' that they will simply ‘catch up’ by the time they reach statutory school age. When IDPs are produced schools are able to "interpret" what is required without adequate accountability and contact of specialist health therapists for guidance. We call for the rights of all children under the UN Convention of Disabled People to be respected by ensuring:
● A universal code of practice to provide an inclusive quality education for all ALN pupils.
● Educational settings providing properly resourced provisions and trained staff that reach a quality assured standard of education to make the system fair, reliable and able to meet ever increasing demand.
● Education and health need to work more closely together.
●Compulsory specialist training and support for teachers and their staff.
This petition was considered by the Petitions Committee
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The Senedd debated this topic
This topic was debated on 8 May 2024
The petition was debated by the Senedd in Plenary on 8 May 2024.