NEW rules supporting young people with special needs in Wales have been signed off by AMs.

The Additional Learning Needs and Educational Tribunal (Wales) Bill was approved on Tuesday, and will pass into law next year.

Among the new regulations included in the bill are for children and young people to be given more say in their own education, as well as encouraging them to aim high and achieve their full potential.

The bill, which will apply to children and young people aged up to 25, will also create a "simpler and less adversarial process", set up new statutory roles within health and education dedicated to additional learning needs and requires disagreements about education to be resolves at the lowest level possible.

The terms 'special educational needs' and 'learning difficulties or disabilities' will also be replaced by 'additional learning needs'.

Speaking after the bill was approved, education secretary Kirsty Williams said: “Today is an historic day for education in Wales.

"Nearly a quarter of learners in Wales will experience some form of additional learning need during their early years or education and this bill places them at the very heart of our system.

"It focusses on identifying their needs as early as possible and working with them and their families to plan the right support.

“Once the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Bill receives Royal Assent, expected in January 2018, it will pave the way for a radical new approach, driving improvements in standards to ensure all learners are supported to meet their full potential."

The bill also aims to provide children and young people with additional learning needs with Welsh-language education where possible as part of the Welsh Government's aim to create one million people who can speak the language by 2050.

Welcoming the approval of the bill, Plaid Cymru's education spokesman Llyr Gruffydd said: "This is important legislation that makes much-needed changes to the outdated law around additional learning needs.

He added: "It’s crucial now that the government allocates adequate resources to cover the cost of implementing it, in order to deliver the fundamental change needed for children and young people with additional learning needs.”

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