Statutory ALN psychology requests rise 239% in Denbighshire

Requests for statutory educational psychology advice in Denbighshire have risen by 239% since 2023, according to a report prepared for the council’s Performance Scrutiny Committee.

What the rise means

The Educational Psychology Team has a statutory duty under the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018 to provide psychological advice. The council says the higher volume of statutory requests leaves less capacity for timely and early support.

The report also points to more tribunal and legal proceedings and the extension of additional learning needs duties across ages zero to 25. Together, those demands are increasing the team’s statutory workload.

What the council is spending

Denbighshire says it has invested an additional £1.7 million in education to expand its own additional learning needs provision. The report also records about £200,000 of grant funding this year for children with additional learning needs starting nursery and for specialist Welsh-speaking staff.

The council has used additional funding for extra classes at special schools and pilot specialist classes in mainstream schools. Its revised funding formula redistributes existing resources rather than increasing the total funding available through the formula.

What the report does not show

The report gives the 239% increase but does not publish the raw number of requests or a year-by-year series. It also does not specify the exact 2023 baseline date. Readers can see the scale of the percentage rise, but cannot use the report to calculate how many cases sit behind it or whether the increase was steady.

The remaining risk

Possible shortfalls in funding for post-16 placements remain a risk in the council report. The scrutiny committee is being asked to examine how the new system is operating and how the pressures are affecting support.