Reports of additional learning or special educational needs in maintained schools by sector, type of need and year
See what variables and values are shown in your table
| Variable | Visibility | Selected values | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Shown in table | All 10 values | Change values |
| Sector | Shown in table | All 6 values | Change values |
| Need | Shown in table | All 15 values | Change values |
| Data description | Shown in table | Number of pupils | Value cannot be changed |
Table
Standard shorthand is used in this table: [c] = confidential information.
| Data values | Data description | Year | Sector | Need |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Number of pupils | 2016/17 | Nursery schools | Moderate learning difficulties |
| 15 | Number of pupils | 2016/17 | Nursery schools | General learning difficulties |
| 5 | Number of pupils | 2016/17 | Nursery schools | Severe learning difficulties |
| 15 | Number of pupils | 2016/17 | Nursery schools | Autistic Spectrum Disorders |
| 10 | Number of pupils | 2016/17 | Nursery schools | Physical and medical difficulties |
| [c] | Number of pupils | 2016/17 | Nursery schools | Hearing impairment |
| [c] | Number of pupils | 2016/17 | Nursery schools | Visual impairment |
| 70 | Number of pupils | 2016/17 | Nursery schools | Speech, language and communication difficulties |
| 35 | Number of pupils | 2016/17 | Nursery schools | Behavioural, emotional and social difficulties |
| 10,170 | Number of pupils | 2016/17 | Primary schools | Moderate learning difficulties |
| 21,455 | Number of pupils | 2016/17 | Primary schools | General learning difficulties |
| 755 | Number of pupils | 2016/17 | Primary schools | Severe learning difficulties |
| 250 | Number of pupils | 2016/17 | Primary schools | Profound and multiple learning difficulties |
| 2,455 | Number of pupils | 2016/17 | Primary schools | Dyslexia |
| 270 | Number of pupils | 2016/17 | Primary schools | Dyscalculia |
| 335 | Number of pupils | 2016/17 | Primary schools | Dyspraxia |
| 890 | Number of pupils | 2016/17 | Primary schools | Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder |
| 2,720 | Number of pupils | 2016/17 | Primary schools | Autistic Spectrum Disorders |
| 3,690 | Number of pupils | 2016/17 | Primary schools | Physical and medical difficulties |
| 1,660 | Number of pupils | 2016/17 | Primary schools | Hearing impairment |
| 680 | Number of pupils | 2016/17 | Primary schools | Visual impairment |
| 70 | Number of pupils | 2016/17 | Primary schools | Multi-sensory impairment |
| 17,455 | Number of pupils | 2016/17 | Primary schools | Speech, language and communication difficulties |
| 11,810 | Number of pupils | 2016/17 | Primary schools | Behavioural, emotional and social difficulties |
| 495 | Number of pupils | 2016/17 | Middle schools | Moderate learning difficulties |
Next update expected:August 2027
Updates
- 5th August 2026
Data added for PLASC 2026.
- 5th February 2026
Removed instances of "&" from lookup table and replaced with "and".
- 24th September 2025
- Dataset first published.
Main information
- Designation
- Official statistics
- Data provider
- Welsh Government
- Data source
- Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC)
- Time period covered
- September 2016 to August 2026
- Dataset ID
- 4c704876-d31b-4ee6-b228-8479554f387f
Overview
- Summary of dataset and variables
Data from the annual School Census which collects information on schools, pupils, classes, ethnicity, free school meal eligibility, additional learning needs and special educational needs.
- Data collection or calculation
The data in this report is collected by the Welsh Government from local authority maintained schools in a return called the Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC). PLASC is an electronic collection of pupil and school level data. Schools record data on pupils and the school throughout the year in their Management Information System (MIS) software. This data is collated into an electronic PLASC return and submitted to the Welsh Government through DEWI, a secure online data transfer system developed by the Welsh Government. Various stages of automated validation and sense-checking are built into the process to ensure a high quality of data to inform policy making and funding.
- Statistical quality
The returns are authorised by headteachers and validated by local authorities.
The school census date is usually in January. Due to the level of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in January 2022, the 2022 census date was delayed to 15 February 2022. School closures between December 2020 and March 2021 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic meant that the 2021 census date was delayed to 20 April 2021.
Pupils are eligible for free school meals if their parents or guardians are in receipt of certain means-tested benefits or support payments. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic may have impacted on the quality of this data and may have resulted in over recording of this data in 2020 to 2022. These figures do not include pupils who only receive free school meals due to the universal primary free school meal policy.
- Rounding applied
Numbers are rounded to the nearest 5.
- Related reports
Published by
- Organisation
- Welsh Government
- Contact email
- school.stats@gov.wales