Welsh government agrees £60m for additional learning needs

The Welsh government has agreed an extra £60m for the education of children with additional learning needs (ALN) in a deal with Welsh Labour, the BBC reported on Tuesday. The agreement concerns the Plaid Cymru-led government’s supplementary budget, which failed to pass in the summer. It will shape Welsh government additional learning needs funding in schools, colleges and councils this year.

First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth said: “This agreement reflects what can be achieved when parties across the Senedd work together.” Labour leader Ken Skates said his party had “managed to secure a significant cash injection for schools”, but added that the Welsh government should be setting aside more.

How the £60m for additional learning needs will be spent

According to the BBC, £56m of the total will be shared between schools and councils, with 80% going to schools and 20% to councils. A further £1.5m will pay for a long-term sustainability plan, and £2.5m is for the further education sector. On those proportions, schools would receive about £44.8m and councils about £11.2m, though the sources do not give those cash figures.

Education Minister Anna Brychan said she hoped the money, “to be used in-year”, would ease “some of the more immediate financial and operational pressures facing schools, colleges, local authorities and support services”. She described ALN as a “key priority”.

Reaction to the Welsh budget deal between Plaid Cymru and Labour

Skates had demanded £100m when the supplementary budget was last discussed, so the agreed sum is £40m lower. The headteachers’ union NAHT expressed “deep disappointment”. Its assistant general secretary, Rob Kelsall, asked what had happened to the £322m that became available to Wales through extra SEND spending in England. The £60m is about 19% of that figure.

The other headteachers’ union, ASCL, welcomed the deal. Its Cymru director, Claire Armitstead, said ASCL had launched a trade dispute in July and negotiated an agreement that “better provides the support these children need”.

Reform Wales leader Helen Jenner welcomed extra ALN support but criticised overseas spending. Welsh Conservative leader Darren Millar called the deal “merely a continuation of the same failed budget approach by the Labour-Plaid duopoly”.

What happens next for the ALN budget

The budget will be debated in the Senedd on 3 November. The BBC said it is not yet known whether Labour will vote for it or abstain. If Labour abstains, Plaid would need support from the Greens and Lib Dem MS Jane Dodds. Skates told BBC Wales: “We’re going to make a final decision on that but certainly we will not stop the budget from passing.”

In July the government put its package to a vote without a deal and won no opposition support. If the supplementary budget does not pass, the government would have to find other ways to fund its new plans, according to the BBC. The original package included £100m for NHS waiting times, £55m for childcare and £40m for school repairs.

Talks continue with other parties on the full annual spending plans, which the Senedd will vote on early next year.

Your questions answered

What are the four areas of Additional Learning Needs (ALN) in Wales?

The sources for this story do not list four areas of ALN, so we have not set any out. The BBC describes ALN as the Welsh equivalent of the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system in England. Families wanting the formal definition should check the Welsh Government’s ALN guidance.

Is the £60m a yearly sum?

That is not clear. The BBC said it was not clear whether the £60m is annual. Brychan said funding for future years would form part of preparations for the draft budget for 2027-28.

Where did the extra money come from?

The BBC said the Welsh government received extra cash because of more SEND spending in England. Labour had argued that some of it should go to Welsh schools.