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A person with a hearing aid is having a conversation with a young child seated across the table, in a room with warm lighting.

A report published today by Estyn considers how well schools, settings, and local authorities are implementing and embedding aspects of the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018 (ALNET) and the accompanying ALN Code.

The report, The additional learning needs system: Progress of schools, settings and local authorities in supporting pupils with additional learning needs, highlights the strong commitment and resilience of staff in schools, settings, and local authorities in supporting pupils with ALN. However, it also points to inconsistencies in how effectively reforms have been implemented and the challenges faced by stakeholders. This report builds on findings from Estyn’s recent thematic review, The new additional learning needs system.

Findings show that where ALN reform has been implemented successfully, many pupils are making suitable progress from their starting points. Schools and settings with an inclusive culture focused well on the learning and well-being of all pupils. The role of the Additional Learning Needs Co-ordinator (ALNCo) was particularly impactful when integrated into senior leadership teams, where they contributed strategically to improving provision and outcomes for pupils with ALN.

Despite progress, the report identifies significant challenges. These include:

  • Variability in the quality of local authority guidance for inclusive teaching and learning
  • Inconsistent interpretation of the ALN Code, particularly in the development of Individual Development Plans (IDPs)
  • Limited equitable support for Welsh-medium ALN provision due to recruitment and resource challenges

The report also recognises positive developments in funded non-maintained early years settings. Early Years Additional Learning Needs Officers (EYALNLOs) were found to provide timely and effective support for younger children with emerging or identified ALN.

Owen Evans, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, said:

“It is encouraging to see the dedication of school staff and local authorities in implementing ALN reform. However, our findings show that more needs to be done to ensure consistency and equity in provision, especially for Welsh-medium learners and in clarifying the application of the ALN Code.

“We hope this report will support schools, local authorities, and the Welsh Government in building on the positive practices identified and addressing the remaining challenges, particularly in strengthening inclusive education across all settings.”

The report includes recommendations for school leaders, local authorities, and the Welsh Government. It highlights effective practices and provides suggestions for improving ALN provision, including strengthening professional learning, enhancing Welsh-medium support, and improving quality assurance processes.

Click here to see the report

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Estyn has been developing the way it works. Whilst accountability within the education and training sectors in Wales continues to be our founding principle, we are committed to supporting sectors to improve. We are increasingly using our expertise and communication channels, including our newly revamped website, to signpost best practice found in our national programme. At the heart of everything we do is the learner, and in that spirit we have amended our logo to reflect this.

 In a whole Estyn exercise, led by the participants of our first Leadership Programme cohort, we have developed a simple tagline that reflects what’s important to us. It should essentially bring together our mission, values and focus as an organisation.

After a vote of all staff and after a great deal of discussion, we settled on a tagline that we hope captures what we believe in and what the sectors we serve believe in.

“For learners, for Wales | Dros ddysgwyr, dros Gymru”

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A new joint report published today by the health, care, and education inspectorates in Wales highlights the need for improvements in mental health support for children and young people.

During our work, we heard from 215 children and young people, 200 parents and carers, as well as 252 professionals. When asked, over half of children and young people aged 11 to 16 told us they didn’t know where to turn for support, and many told us, when help was needed, it wasn’t always available.

While some progress has been made, the findings by Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW), Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW), and Estyn reveal that many children and young people are still struggling to access the help they need, when they need it.

The report highlights the dedication of professionals who are working hard to support children and young people, despite increasing demand for services. Innovative solutions, such as online resources and app-based support, along with welcoming spaces like Crisis Hubs and Youth Cafés, are providing young people with flexible options for seeking help. However, further action is required to ensure that every child and young person in Wales gets the right support, at the right time.

Our work has illustrated the need for organisations to work better together, particularly in addressing the ongoing challenges with accessing specialist mental health support across Wales.

Key findings include:

  • Improvement in Early Help and Prevention: Schools, online platforms, and voluntary groups are providing more mental health support than ever to prevent the need for specialist CAMHS input, but some children and young people are still missing out on timely and effective support.
  • Gaps in Specialist Care: Despite shorter waiting times for initial CAMHS assessments, follow-up care remains a major challenge for all children and young people. This is particularly the case for those with complex needs, including care experienced and neurodiverse young people, who are often left without timely and effective care.
  • Disparity in service access: There are disparities with the eligibility criteria and thresholds for accessing CAMHS, leaving many families and professionals frustrated by the communication and lack of clarity around how these decisions are made.  It was also concerning to find that those who speak Welsh were not easily able to converse in their language of choice for mental health care and support.
  • Rise in Crisis Support: New initiatives like Sanctuary Spaces and Crisis Hubs are providing alternatives to emergency room care for children and young people in crisis. However, high demand means many are still only accessing support when they reach breaking point.
  • What Needs to Change: The report raises concerns about funding, poor communication between services, and a lack of coordinated care. It calls for stronger partnerships between health and local authorities to ensure children and young people get the right care at the right time.

We hope the findings within this report drive forward improvement for children, young people and those close to them so that they have a better experience accessing services like CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services), with shorter, clearer waiting times.

Alun Jones, Chief Executive of Healthcare Inspectorate Wales, said: ” This report highlights the urgent need for improvement in mental health services for our children and young people. While we commend the dedication of professionals who are working tirelessly to provide support, many children and young people are still struggling to access the care they need. We cannot allow a sense of helplessness amongst children and young people to persist; every child in Wales should know where to turn for help and receive timely support, regardless of their location.

The findings highlight both the progress made and the significant gaps that remain. We must improve collaboration among health boards and local authorities to create a more coordinated system. This is not just about improving services; it’s about ensuring that every child and young person in Wales has the right mental health support they need.

We thank all the children, young people, parents, carers, professionals, and stakeholders who contributed to this review.”

Chief Inspector of Care Inspectorate Wales, Gillian Baranski said:

“Mental health support for our children and young people is not just a statistic; it’s a call to action. It’s deeply concerning that over half of Wales’s children and young people don’t know where to turn for help. We recognise the immense strain this places on individuals, families, and our dedicated professionals in health, education, and local authorities. While initiatives like Crisis Hubs offer hope, we must do more. We are committed to fostering better collaboration between services, addressing gaps in care, and working tirelessly towards a mental health support system that is transparent, accessible, and effective for every child and young person in Wales.

His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales, Owen Evans said:

“The findings of this report highlight that more needs to be done to improve mental health support for children and young people in Wales.  Although there are some innovative approaches being delivered by committed professionals, too many young people cannot access the support they need in a timely manner.  In the report, we identify the need for all partners to work together effectively to urgently improve services for every child and young person in Wales.  Our thanks to all the children, young people, families, professionals, and stakeholders who contributed to this review.”

If you or someone you know are going through a difficult time and need support, please access the information and resource links below:

Mind

Young Minds

NHS 111 Press 2

Children and Young People Mental Health Joint Review
Children and Young People Mental Health Joint Review – Youth Friendly version

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A child in a red jumper is climbing a wooden climbing wall in a backyard.

Local authorities must work more effectively with early years education providers to address the impact of poverty on children, according to a report published today by Estyn. The report examines how well early years settings and schools use their resources and funding to help children from disadvantaged backgrounds overcome barriers to learning and well-being.

Estyn’s report, The impact of poverty on educational attainment, support, provision and transition for early education, reveals that access to early education varies widely across Wales, leading to inequities for families, particularly in choice of nursery provision. The report shows that while many early years providers are building supportive relationships with families and actively addressing immediate needs, they often lack specific guidance from local authorities on how to meet the developmental needs of children affected by poverty and disadvantage.

Estyn’s findings show that many early years providers build strong, supportive relationships with children and families, making a significant difference in communities facing poverty and hardship. These settings are providing practical help to families in need, often in collaboration with local charities and organisations to offer essentials such as food, toys, and school uniforms. This tailored support has helped create nurturing, inclusive environments that benefit children’s social and emotional development.

However, the report highlights issues with the Early Years Pupil Development Grant (EYPDG) funding system. Many non-maintained early years settings used this funding effectively to support children’s language and social skills. However, inconsistent funding formulas meant that settings in high-poverty areas did not always receive adequate support, limiting the resources available to tackle disadvantage effectively. In most schools, EYPDG funding has helped to sustain early years provision by allowing for additional staff in classrooms. Some schools have used the grant to support specific interventions for speech, language, and emotional well-being. However, in cases where funding was pooled with general PDG funds, it was harder to ensure that support was targeted specifically at children most affected by poverty.

Owen Evans, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, said:

“Our report highlights the importance of equitable access to early years education and support for families facing poverty. It is clear that many early years providers are doing vital work to help disadvantaged children, but more targeted support is needed to make a meaningful difference.”

The report provides recommendations for local authorities, school leaders, and the Welsh Government to improve the effectiveness of support and funding for early years providers. It includes suggestions to better target EYPDG funding and to offer more professional learning opportunities for staff to help them meet the needs of children impacted by poverty.

In addition to its findings and recommendations, the report includes examples of effective practice to support early years providers in their work, helping ensure that children from disadvantaged backgrounds have the best possible start in life.

Click here to see the report

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Join us live at 4pm on 21 November 2024 for a discussion around the effective practice and key findings of our recent thematic report: Thematic Report: Developing pupils’ Welsh reading skills from 10-14 years of age – Estyn 

The report author, Heledd Thomas HMI will be joined by representatives from Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Llangennech and Ysgol Dyffryn Ogwen to share their experiences. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions you may have on the report or the topic more broadly.  

Sign-up now!

Estyn Live

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A group of secondary school children working around a desk, with one student smiling at the camera

Estyn is today publishing its early insights from the Chief Inspector’s Annual Report 2023-24, providing a timely summary of what’s working well and what needs to improve across each education and training sector in Wales.  

Estyn aims to ensure His Majesty’s Chief Inspector’s findings are accessible and useful for education and training providers through an online annual report which is easy to read and digest and available to all as early as possible.

Estyn has today published sector specific summaries across sixteen sectors including schools, colleges, work-based learning, local government education services, youth work and education in the justice sector among others, outlining what’s working well and what needs strengthening. 

The early insights, which have been pulled together from the findings of Estyn inspections during 2023-2024, reflect on the key challenges and successes in each sector. To support providers with improvement in their own settings, the sector summaries point towards inspection reports and case studies from providers that were inspected and were found to be doing particularly well.  

Ahead of his full Annual Report, which will be published in January, Owen Evans, Chief Inspector, said:

“As we complete our second month inspecting under our new arrangements, it’s important that we reflect on the education and training landscape as a whole and highlight the areas presenting challenges and opportunities for providers across Wales.

“My early insights report brings together the valuable information we have gathered from inspecting more than 400 education and training providers over the past twelve months. We are privileged to have a national view of numerous education and training sectors across Wales and our insights are presented in a way that identifies common themes and challenges in a bid to support improvement.

“My full annual report will be published in January and will offer further insight into our current education and training priorities here in Wales, providing further detail about the findings of our inspections together with an analysis of a number of wider themes including teaching and the curriculum, recruitment and retention and anti-racism.”  

Read the full sector summaries here.

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The Cabinet Secretary for Education (Lynne Neagle MS) referred to the good work undertaken in our Welsh language late immersion centres across Wales in Plenary this week.

We fully endorse the focus on the important role of Welsh immersion centres in the development of Welsh reading skills and highlight this in our recent Thematic report: Developing Welsh reading skills from 10-14 years of age

The statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Education can be seen below:

“I want to take this opportunity today to highlight and celebrate the work undertaken in our Welsh language late immersion centres across Wales, and the part we as the Welsh Government are playing in supporting that work…

Over 4,000 learners have benefited from late immersion intensive language programmes since 2021. Late immersion teaching practices have also been used to reinforce Welsh language skills amongst those less confident learners, particularly post-pandemic.

The recently published Estyn Thematic Report on developing pupils’ Welsh reading skills from 10-14 years of age, acknowledged the role late immersion centres play in developing effective Welsh language skills amongst learners who transfer from the English-medium sector. The funding to local authorities has also supported the retention and recruitment of over 60 late immersion practitioners as well as enabled creative use of technology to enrich the learning experience. Cyngor Gwynedd, for example has led the development of a virtual village ‘Pentref Aberwla’, using VR technology which will be rolled out nationally over time. 

Full details on The Cabinet Secretary for Education’s reference can be found here: Agenda for Plenary on Tuesday, 8 October 2024, 13.30 (senedd.wales)

To find out more about our approach to inspecting Welsh immersion arrangements in local authorities click here.

Our recent inspection report on Welsh Language Immersion Arrangements in Newport City Council can be found here.

For further examples of effective practice in this sector, read our recent thematic report: Welsh Immersion Education – Strategies and approaches to support 3 to 11-year-old learners

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Estyn recognises the need to prioritise improving the reading skills of learners in Wales.  Estyn also recognises that the best teaching and learning in reading can involve a range of methodologies and practices, with phonics as a key building block. Whilst we would expect to see the involvement of phonics-based practice in schools, Estyn does not endorse any one single approach to teaching reading but uses a range of evidence to evaluate each approach with a focus on its impact for the progress of learners.

In our experience, the most effective schools in Wales take a balanced approach to teaching reading. These schools use a range of strategies so that nearly all learners read with fluency and understanding. These schools have a whole-school approach to developing learners’ reading skills and have an established reading culture. When children start school, the best teachers place an emphasis on developing pre-reading skills and then build on this by teaching phonics explicitly and progressively. Teachers encourage learners to use a range of strategies as part of this balanced approach. As learners move through the school, teachers support them to acquire advanced reading skills and vocabulary progression through continuing to develop their understanding as the foundation for all learning.

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Schools need to work together more effectively to ensure that pupils make more consistent progress as they move from primary to secondary school, according to a new report by Estyn. The report, Transition and pupil progression, looks at how well schools work together to support pupils’ learning and well-being during this crucial transition phase.

This new report highlights that while schools are largely successful in supporting pupils’ well-being during induction arrangements, they often struggle to ensure that pupils’ learning continues smoothly as they move from primary to secondary education.

The report finds that a minority of school clusters have begun to develop a clear, shared understanding of learning progression, for instance by forming groups of teachers to review pupils’ work. However, these initiatives are still in the early stages and have not yet had a strong impact on improving the continuity of learning between primary and secondary schools.

School leaders have identified challenges, such as coordinating the work of multiple primary schools with a single secondary school, different interpretations of the curriculum, and not having enough time or resources to work together effectively. The report notes that while all-age schools (which teach pupils from ages 3 to 16) have the potential to provide a continuous learning experience, a minority still treat primary and secondary phases separately instead of as a unified experience.

Despite these challenges, the report highlights examples of good practice where some clusters of schools have successfully mapped out what pupils should know, learn and experience across areas of learning and experience. It also shows how clusters are beginning to use this to support pupil progression between primary and secondary schools.

Owen Evans, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, said:

“Our report shows that while schools are making efforts to support pupils as they transition from primary to secondary education, more needs to be done to ensure a smooth learning experience. Strengthening cooperation between schools is essential to help pupils continue to progress in their learning as they move from one stage to the next.

“It is heartening to see that Welsh Government already acknowledge this, with the announcement in July that they will introduce simplified, easy to access support to help schools plan their curriculum.

We hope this report encourages school leaders, local authorities, and the Welsh Government to take further action to improve transition strategies. By working together, we can make sure pupils get the support they need to succeed throughout their education.”

The report includes several recommendations for school leaders, local authorities, and the Welsh Government. These include clusters working more closely to ensure that approaches to information sharing, teaching, and the curriculum support pupils to develop knowledge, skills, experiences and learning behaviours progressively from 3 to 16 years old, and providing more training opportunities to support collaboration between schools. It also offers practical tools and examples of good practices to help schools improve their transition processes and ensure that pupils continue to develop effectively as they move from primary to secondary school.

Click here to see the report

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Many pupils’ reading skills have suffered as a result of the pandemic, A report published today by Estyn looks specifically at how Welsh and bilingual schools develop Welsh reading skills and shows that wide variations in the reading skills of 10 to 14-year-olds remain both within and across primary, secondary and all-age schools.

Estyn’s report, Developing pupils’ Welsh reading skills from 10-14 years of age,  highlights that the negative impact of the pandemic remains clear on the standard of pupils’ Welsh reading skills in general, with some pupils having lost the confidence to communicate and read in Welsh.

The report findings show that the most beneficial opportunities to develop reading skills could be seen in Welsh lessons or language sessions and within the humanities subjects. Many primary schools and a few secondary schools promoted reading for pleasure successfully. However, overall, experiences to promote reading outside of the classroom were seen to have decreased significantly since the pandemic, particularly in the secondary sector. 

The inspectorate recommends that schools strengthen opportunities for pupils to develop a variety of reading skills in subjects across the curriculum in addition to Welsh.

The report does highlight some challenges, particularly in secondary schools where co-ordinating the progressive development of reading skills consistently across the range of subjects and teachers is more difficult than in primary schools.

The report presents a number of recommendations for school leaders, local authorities and Welsh Government. In addition to the examples of good practice, the report includes suggestions within each chapter to help schools strengthen their work in developing pupils’ reading skills, as well as offering a suite of toolkits for teaching staff to support their work in promoting and enriching pupils’ reading skills.

Owen Evans, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, said:

“It is unsurprising that we are still seeing the negative impact of the pandemic on the standard of pupils’ Welsh reading skills but our new report highlights good practice from schools and offers a number of suggestions and practical toolkits to support teachers in developing pupils’ Welsh reading skills. 

“There are clear opportunities to improve how clusters of schools can work together to effectively develop pupils’ reading skills and create more purposeful opportunities to develop Welsh reading skills across the curriculum.

“Improving the standard of pupils’ reading skills is a national priority and we hope this report will support schools to plan strategically and structure opportunities to increase pupils’ interest, resilience and confidence when reading in Welsh.”

Click here to see the report