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Funding for Additional Learning Needs (ALN)
Is this devolved to Wales?
Devolved
The necessary powers are not reserved to the UK Parliament in Schedule 7A of the Government of Wales Act 2006.
Shared Powers
Insert a specific explanation of the powers situation for this issue here.
Not Devolved
The powers over this are reserved to the UK Parliament in Schedule 7A of the Government of Wales Act 2006 (Specific Section/Number/Clause).
Additional Learning Needs (ALN) cover several learning disabilities that make it harder for a child to learn compared to children of the same age.
Under Welsh law1, pupils identified as having ALN are entitled to a personalised plan of support called an Individual Development Plan. This support can be offered in both mainstream schools and secondary schools and is funded by local authorities out of their education budgets.
An Audit Wales report2, found that while the number of pupils identified as having ALN has decreased by almost 60% since 2018, support has become more expensive, with local council spending on ALN increasing by 34% across the same period.
Funding for ALN caused a major political row in the Senedd towards the end of the summer 2026 term.
The Welsh Government received a Barnett formula consequential (a top-up to its existing budget) following the UK Government’s decision to clear £5 billion worth of English local authority debt3 linked to spending on special needs (which they call SEND).
This additional funding totalled £327 million. It was added to other in-year budget changes in the Welsh Government’s first supplementary budget for the 2026-27 financial year4.
The tabled supplementary budget focused mainly on the NHS and proposals relating to free childcare.
Opposition parties argued that the additional funding should be spent on Additional Learning Needs in Wales, just as it had been in England. Local authorities in Wales have faced their own pressures in meeting increasing demand for ALN.
The Welsh Government changed the supplementary budget to add an extra £40 million towards ALN in the current financial year, but this wasn’t deemed acceptable.
As a result, the Senedd rejected the supplementary budget by 44 votes to 49 on 14th July 2026.
Politically, seeing their supplementary budget voted down over this issue is a major defeat for Plaid Cymru. However, it’s unclear how this will reflect on opposition parties as, on paper, it’s taken money away from the NHS and parents seeking childcare.
Local authorities are responsible for spending money allocated for Additional Learning Needs under their education budgets.
Reports of additional learning or special educational needs in maintained schools, type of need and year
Budgeted expenditure on ALN provision financial years 2003-04 to 2026-27 (£million)
Costs & Economic Impact
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Explanation
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Who has raised this at the Senedd?
Rhun ap Iorwerth MS
First Minister
Elin Jones MS
Finance Minister
Sera Evans MS
Chair: Education & Young People
Elfed Williams MS
Backbencher
Mair Rowlands MS
Co-Chair: Culture
Cai Parry-Jones MS
Shadow Finance Minister
Thomas Montgomery MS
Backbencher
Ben McKenna MS
Backbencher
Ken Skates MS
Labour Group Leader
Huw Thomas MS
Backbencher
Lynne Neagle MS
Labour Whip
Mike Hedges MS
Backbencher
Vikki Howells MS
Senedd Commissioner
Darren Millar MS
Conservative Group Leader
Sam Rowlands MS
Chair: Finance
Rhun ap Iorwerth MS
First Minister
Elin Jones MS
Finance Minister
Sera Evans MS
Chair: Education & Young People
Elfed Williams MS
Backbencher
Mair Rowlands MS
Co-Chair: Culture
Cai Parry-Jones MS
Shadow Finance Minister
Thomas Montgomery MS
Backbencher
Ben McKenna MS
Backbencher
Ken Skates MS
Labour Group Leader
Huw Thomas MS
Backbencher
Lynne Neagle MS
Labour Whip
Mike Hedges MS
Backbencher
Vikki Howells MS
Senedd Commissioner
Darren Millar MS
Conservative Group Leader
Sam Rowlands MS
Chair: Finance
What are the party positions on this?
- Supported the Supplementary Budget
- Opposed
- Neutral/No Opinion
Plaid Cymru backbenchers fell in line behind the government, supporting the additional £40 million provided by the Finance Minister during 2026-27.
- Supports
- Opposed the Supplementary Budget
- Neutral/No Opinion
Reform backed calls for all of the additional money to be spent on ALN.
- Supports
- Opposed the Supplementary Budget
- Neutral/No Opinion
Labour aggressively pushed for Wales to spend as significant part of the additional money on ALN. They rejected any suggestion that they were trying to score political points.
- Supports
- Opposed the Supplementary Budget
- Neutral/No Opinion
The Conservatives refused to support the supplementary budget and called for a broader debate on ALN funding.
- Supported the Supplementary Budget
- Opposed
- Neutral/No Opinion
The Greens haven’t said anything specific on ALN, but backed the supplementary budget.
- Supports
- Opposed the Supplementary Budget
- Neutral/No Opinion
Jane Dodds hasn’t said anything on this specifically, but voted against the supplementary budget. However, she abstained on a Labour-tabled motion calling for the additional money to be spent on ALN.
Who is responsible?
Elin Jones MS
Finance Minister
What have ministers said?
What's being done about this?
As mentioned, the Welsh Government tabled changes to the supplementary budget to provide an extra £120 million for ALN across the next three financial years (£40 million a year), but this didn’t convince the opposition to back it.
Regardless of the outcome, the Finance Minister said the Welsh Government would look in detail at ALN funding as part of planning for the 2027-28 Welsh budget.
No, though budgets are approved by the Senedd as a whole.
There’s likely to be another supplementary budget tabled during the 2026-27 term.
What have the Senedd's Committees said?
Nothing has been discussed yet.
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Relevant Votes
| Date | Motion Number | Subject | Tabled As | Binding Vote? | Votes For | Abstentions | Votes Against | Absent/No Vote | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14/07/26 | NDM9261 | First Supplementary Budget 2026-27 | Yes | 44 | 0 | 49 | 1 | REJECTED | |
| 01/07/26 | NDM9277 | Supplementary budget should be spent entirely on ALN | No | 46 | 3 | 41 | 4 | AGREED |
Further Reading
- Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal Act 2018.
- Audit Wales (7th April 2026). “Additional Learning Needs: Do public bodies know if the system is working?“
- Kate McGough, BBC News (9th February 2026). “£5bn council SEND debts to be paid off by government“
- Owain Cynfab, Ed Gareth Poole, Cardiff University (8th July 2026). “The First Supplementary Budget: what it means and the options ahead“
