Children and young people in Wales will miss out on more than £500 million in funding for additional learning needs (ALN), despite an unprecedented response from school leaders who sent over 5,000 letters to ministers in under a week calling for the investment to be protected.

School leaders’ union NAHT Cymru have been told that the funding – generated through significant new investment in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision in England – has not been ring-fenced for ALN in Wales, with the Welsh Government instead choosing to allocate resources across a range of priorities in its supplementary budget.

School leaders have expressed deep disappointment and frustration that this funding will not be directed in full to ALN provision and warn that the impact of this decision will be felt across classrooms and communities.

NAHT Cymru, which represents leaders in the majority of schools in Wales, said the decision represents a missed opportunity to strengthen support for learners with additional needs at a time of growing demand, and means Welsh pupils are being unfairly disadvantaged.

Laura Doel, National Secretary of NAHT Cymru, said: “We recognise the very real challenges facing Welsh Government and the difficult decisions ministers must make when allocating funding across public services.

“However, school leaders across Wales will be extremely disappointed that this funding has not been directed specifically to Additional Learning Needs provision, particularly given the scale of demand and the pressures currently facing schools and local authorities.

“The response over the past week has been remarkable. More than 5,000 people took the time to write directly to ministers to highlight the importance of this investment. That in itself reflects how critical this issue is for schools and the learners they support.

“This funding arose from investment in supporting children with additional needs elsewhere in the UK. Many will therefore question why it has not been used to strengthen provision for learners with ALN in Wales.

“Demand for ALN support has increased significantly in recent years, with cost more than doubling over the last decade, rising significantly faster than available funding. Schools and local authorities are working incredibly hard to meet learners’ needs, but additional investment remains urgently needed.

“This decision will come at a cost and continued underfunding of ALN will mean learners will not get the support they deserve and spiralling costs for schools will undoutably lead to further redundancies of teachers and teaching assistants – the very people we rely on to deliver.

“If education is a key priority for this government, it needs to demonstrate it through action not just warm words.

“We hope that Welsh Government will continue to work with the sector to ensure that ALN provision is sustainably funded in the longer term, and that the needs of these learners remain a clear priority in future spending decisions.”

The campaign, launched earlier this week, called on ministers to guarantee that:

• The full consequential funding arising from SEND spending in England would be allocated to ALN provision in Wales
• The funding would be passed on to local authorities and schools delivering support on the ground
• The funding would be ring-fenced to prevent it being diverted to other priorities

Despite the strength of feeling across the sector, these calls have not been met.

* £322 million in 2026–27 and £197 million recurrent from 2028–29