UK · Wales · Reference
Wales Additional Learning Needs glossary
Plain-English explanations of common terms used in Wales’s ALN system.
Wales terminology · 25 terms · Last reviewed 12 September 2026
Wales only.
England, Scotland and Northern Ireland use different statutory frameworks and terminology. An IDP is the Welsh statutory plan and should not be treated as simply another name for an England EHCP.
A
- Additional Learning Needs (ALN)
- The statutory term used in Wales where a child or young person has a learning difficulty or disability that calls for additional learning provision.
- Additional Learning Provision (ALP)
- Educational provision that is additional to, or different from, what is generally made available to others of the same age in mainstream education. For a child under 3, educational provision of any kind can fall within the statutory definition.
- Additional Learning Needs Co-ordinator (ALNCo)
- The designated professional in a maintained school or further-education institution with strategic and coordinating responsibilities for ALN arrangements.
- Advocacy
- Independent support that can help a child or young person understand rights, express views and take part in ALN processes.
- Appeal
- A formal challenge to specified local-authority or further-education decisions made to the Education Tribunal for Wales.
C
- Case friend
- A person who can support a child in exercising specified rights under the ALN system where statutory conditions are met.
- Child
- Under the ALN framework, generally a person under compulsory school age or of compulsory school age, subject to the Act’s definitions.
- Consent
- For a young person, consent can be required before certain ALN decisions or processes are carried out. Rights and consent arrangements differ from those that apply to a child and parent.
D
- Dispute Resolution Service (DRS)
- A local-authority arrangement intended to help avoid or resolve disagreements about ALN and ALP. Using it does not remove a right to appeal where an appeal right exists.
E
- Education Tribunal for Wales (ETW)
- The independent tribunal that hears specified appeals and applications under the Welsh ALN framework.
F
- Further Education Institution (FEI)
- A college or other further-education institution that can have duties under the ALN framework for young people.
I
- Individual Development Plan (IDP)
- The statutory plan for a learner identified as having ALN. It records the learner’s ALN and the ALP required.
- Information and advice service
- A service every local authority must make available to provide accessible information and advice about ALN, the ALN system and available support.
L
- Local authority
- The council body with statutory ALN responsibilities, including decisions and maintaining IDPs in specified circumstances.
- Local-authority-maintained IDP
- An IDP maintained by the local authority, for example where provision is beyond what it would be reasonable to expect the education setting to secure or in other circumstances set out in the ALN framework.
M
- Maintained school
- A school maintained by a local authority. Maintained schools have statutory ALN decision-making and IDP duties.
O
- Outcome
- A result or change the IDP is working toward. Outcomes should help connect the learner’s needs, provision and review of progress.
P
- Person-centred practice
- An approach that puts the child or young person’s views, outcomes, strengths and needs at the centre of planning and review.
R
- Reconsideration
- A process where the responsible local authority looks again at certain maintained-school decisions, including whether a learner has ALN or the content of a school-maintained IDP.
- Review
- The process of checking whether an IDP remains accurate and appropriate. IDPs must be reviewed at least every 12 months and can be reviewed earlier.
S
- School-maintained IDP
- An IDP for which a maintained school is responsible. Most school-age learners with ALN have their IDP maintained by their education setting unless statutory circumstances require local-authority responsibility.
- Statutory plan
- A plan required by law. In the Welsh ALN system, the IDP is the statutory plan for a learner identified as having ALN.
T
- Transition planning
- Planning for a learner’s move between settings or phases, such as primary to secondary school, school to college, or another significant change.
W
- Welsh-medium ALP
- Additional learning provision delivered in Welsh where required. The ALN framework includes duties to consider and record whether ALP should be provided in Welsh.
Y
- Young person
- A person over compulsory school age who is under 25, subject to the Act’s definitions and education circumstances. Many rights sit directly with the young person.
Official and authoritative sources
Welsh Government — ALN parent and carer toolkit
Welsh Government — ALN system: your rights
Welsh Government — decision-making and communication
Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018