£60m ALN funding agreed ahead of Welsh budget vote
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An extra £60 million for Additional Learning Needs has been agreed between the Welsh Government and Welsh Labour, enabling the government to bring forward its Supplementary Budget for 2026-27. The government announced the agreement on Tuesday 13 October. The money is for the current financial year and sits alongside the wider investment package first set out in June.
The ALN agreement
- Financial year
- 2026-27
- Senedd debate planned
- 3 November 2026
- Current stage
- Political agreement
What happens next
The government says the Supplementary Budget will be laid before the Senedd on 13 October and debated on 3 November. A political agreement to proceed is not the same as a completed Senedd vote. First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth said the agreement would unlock the extra ALN funding while allowing the government to bring forward its planned investment in the NHS, childcare and free school meals. Those wider commitments are not all new announcements in today’s release. Welsh Labour leader Ken Skates said the additional ALN money needed to deliver for the children and young people who require support.
What the announcement does not tell us
The release does not provide a school-by-school or college-by-college allocation, a payment timetable, or a breakdown of how the £60 million would be used. It cannot yet tell a family how much extra support a particular learner will receive. The next parliamentary milestone is the scheduled November debate. Cover will check the budget documents and decision before reporting the spending as approved.