Additional learning needs
The term used in Wales when a child needs extra support to learn. It replaced the term special educational needs for children and young people in Wales.
Applies in Wales
Wales changed its law with the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018. Additional learning needs covers children and young people from birth to 25 who need extra support to learn, and it replaced both special educational needs SEND SEND is England's word for children who need extra help to learn. The rest of the UK uses other words, and other rules. Read the full definition of SEND in schools and the separate system used in colleges. A child with ALN may get an individual development plan Individual Development Plan (IDP) The plan a child in Wales gets if they need extra help with learning. It is a legal document, and it is the only statutory plan Wales uses. Read the full definition of Individual Development Plan (IDP) , or IDP. On bilingual paperwork you may see the Welsh form, anghenion dysgu ychwanegol, or ADY.
Across the UK
- Special educational needs (SEN) : England still uses the term special educational needs.
- Additional support needs (ASN) : Scotland uses additional support needs, which is broader still.
Related words
Where this comes from
- Education is changing: additional learning needs , Welsh Government. Checked 2026-08-14.
Your child doesn't need a diagnosis to get support
Start with a profile of your child. See what we find. Go from there.