ALNCO | Role

Main responsibilities

Co-ordinate ALP for learners with ALN across the setting.
Oversee the preparation, review and maintenance of individual development plans (IDPs) that the school maintains.
Advise and support teachers, who remain responsible for meeting learners' needs day to day.
Work with the senior leadership team on ALN resources, staff deployment and budgets.
Liaise with the local authority, health bodies and other agencies.
Promote the views, wishes and feelings of learners and families in decisions.

Wales.

The governing body of a maintained school, maintained nursery school or PRU in Wales must designate one or more persons to co-ordinate additional learning provision; the person is known as the additional learning needs co-ordinator. Source: Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018, section 60.
A school may designate an ALNCo only if the person is a school teacher registered with the Education Workforce Council (not provisionally), or was the school's SENCO immediately before 4 January 2021. Source: Additional Learning Needs (Wales) Regulations 2021, regulation 27.
The regulations set out the ALNCo's functions. Source: ALN (Wales) Regulations 2021, regulations 29–30.
The role is strategic and should form part of the senior leadership team or have a clear line of communication to it; ALNCos should be involved in decisions about budgets and resources; they are not expected to support every learner directly. Source: The Additional Learning Needs Code for Wales 2021, chapter 8, paragraphs 8.7–8.10.
The ALN Code restates the prescribed qualification (a registered school teacher, with the SENCO exception) and says ALNCos should be highly qualified, have expertise in person-centred practice and undertake continuing professional development; it prescribes no separate ALNCo qualification. ALNCos should have sufficient time and resource, including dedicated time away from teaching. Source: ALN Code, paragraphs 8.3, 8.5 and 8.22–8.23.

Safeguarding in Wales follows Keeping learners safe, not KCSIE.

Not an English SENCO. English terms (SEN support, EHC plans, the SEND code) do not apply in Wales. Use ALN, ALP and IDP.
Time. The ALN Code says the ALNCo needs sufficient time and resource, including dedicated time away from teaching, taking account of the number of learners with ALN and the severity of need (paragraph 8.5); combined roles must not impinge on ALNCo duties (8.6).
Language. Welsh-medium and bilingual settings may need ALP and documents in Welsh.

What does an ALNCo do? Co-ordinates additional learning provision for learners with ALN and leads the setting's ALN arrangements (2018 Act, section 60; ALN Code chapter 8).
Is an ALNCo the same as a SENCO? It is the Welsh statutory equivalent under a different law; the duties, plans (IDPs) and terminology differ.
Does an ALNCo have to be a qualified teacher? Yes, a registered school teacher, unless they were the school's SENCO immediately before 4 January 2021 (regulation 27).
Should the ALNCo be on the senior leadership team? The ALN Code says on SLT or with a clear line of communication to it (8.7).
Does the English NPQ for SENCOs apply in Wales? No. The Welsh requirement is registration with the Education Workforce Council as a school teacher (regulation 27); the ALN Code prescribes no separate ALNCo award (8.22–8.23).