Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:28 pm on 23 March 2021.
Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. Could I thank colleagues for their comments and acknowledge the work that Alun Davies did on the ALN Bill when he was serving as my deputy in the education department? I'm very grateful for that and I know his own personal commitment to this agenda.
Suzy and Siân Gwenllian raised a number of issues. Can I just try and respond, as briefly as I can, Presiding Officer? I see the hour is late. With regard to transport, the provision for transport falls under a separate law, namely the Learner Travel (Wales) Measure 2008. However, the ALN code provides for a section in the individual development plan standard form in which to record travel arrangements where this may be appropriate. Can I say, that was not something that was in the original code, but was changed as a result of conversations and consultation to address concerns that were raised? And I'm also very keen to assure Members that I do not believe that the reforms will raise the bar for the provision of an IDP. The test to decide who has ALN has not changed, and the person-centred approach that is the central principle of the system is there, and therefore I don't believe that learners with lower levels of ALN will be disadvantaged in any way. And, rest assured, children under the new ALN system who are identified as having ALN will be entitled to an IDP.
With regard to the issue of compulsory school leaving age, Suzy, I would refer you to a piece of work that I commissioned as independent policy research to look at the compulsory age. It was published on the Welsh Government website, I believe, last month. It's an interim review of the evidence out there, across the world, as to whether compulsory school age should be raised. I have to say, I was somewhat surprised by the findings, and of course time has worked against me to be able to push that forward. But I think it certainly is a debate that will need to be picked up in the next term, and hopefully the work that has been done in this term will help inform next steps in that regard.
As Alun Davies said, the whole emphasis in this new legislation is to ensure that all of those who work with our children with ALN have the right skills and can use the system, and this code is an important part of that, in making the Act real for people. Five ALN transformation leads have been in place since 2018, providing advice, support and challenge to local authorities, schools, early years settings and FE institutions as they prepare for the implementation of the reforms. Our ALN transformation leads will also be there monitoring implementation of the new system on the ground and being able to feed back as to whether there are changes that would need to be made.
With your approval today, I think it will mark an important next step in our reform agenda here in Wales, and will have a clear signal to the nation that the Senedd has worked hard, alongside the Government, to secure the best outcomes and opportunities for children and young people with ALN. I would urge Members to show their support this afternoon. Thank you.