An 11-year-old child in Wales was left with no formal education for more than a year and a half. Services he needed weren't there to support him causing "immense distress" for his family, said the Children's Commissioner.

Highlighting the boy’s case as a reflection of the situation across Wales, the Children’s Commissioner said it was not an isolated situation. Many children with additional learning needs (ALN) in Wales are not getting the education they should.

“This case is illustrative of the many other cases that we hear about,” Rocio Cifuentes warned as she called for more research into how schools use reduced timetables for some pupils. Children with ALN are being put on reduced school times tables, their parents forced to pay for private diagnoses owing to assessment delays and a multitude of other problems, the commissioner said. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here

Another parent with a child with ALN told her: “Everything is a fight. Nothing is straightforward or easy - your child has to be broken before you are offered help”.

One parent described their attempt to get their child into a special school by collecting evidence needed for their local authority as "upsetting". The parent told the commissioner: "Trying to do that with four children home from school over the holidays, two of them with additional needs and trying to write and build the case almost broke me”.

On the 11-year-old boy's case Ms Cifuentes said: "A family recently contacted my office regarding significant challenges their 11-year-old son was facing in accessing appropriate education and healthcare support, resulting in the child not receiving any formal education for over 18 months.

"The local authority refused to recognise the private assessment, which worsened the situation and left the child without the necessary support and services, causing immense distress for the family. This case is illustrative of the many other cases that we hear about and underscores the significant challenges families face when local authorities and health boards fail to adequately assess and provide support for children with complex needs."

These are just some of the comments shared with the commissioner’s office on the reality of navigating “an often complex and inaccessible system”, she said. Around one fifth of cases two her office concern ALN and access to adequate provision.

The commissioner said that in her view Wales' ALN Act "has fallen short of its goal to reduce bureaucracy and make it easier for families to access support for their child’s education". She said more research was needed into the use of reduced timetables by schools, the length of time children and young people are on them, the reasons for them being used, and the steps that are taken to return children and young people to a full timetable.

“I am increasingly concerned with the barriers that children with ALN are frequently facing when accessing support across education and health. Issues we see range from children being placed on severely reduced timetables where a school cannot meet need, conflict in ownership of Individual Development Plans (IDP) (which replaced statements of educational needs) between local authorities and schools, and delays in access to assessments resulting in some families feeling that they have no choice but to pay for private diagnoses.”

The commissioner said she welcomed the Welsh Government announcement of additional funding of £20 million for ALN provision in schools last year, as well as the review to consider the clarity and accessibility of the legislative framework, but disappointed the review won’t start until summer 2025.

An “alternative” approach was also needed for any assessments needed and a swifter response time producing children’s Individual Development Plans which identify their educational needs.

“There needs to be a clear focus on breaking down barriers to accessing support in education and health. There is an evident need for accessible guidance setting out duties of local authorities and schools to mitigate miscommunication of responsibility and for families to build trust in statutory services," said the commissioner."