Reports of additional learning or special educational needs in maintained schools by sector, type of need and year

Standard shorthand is used in this table: [c] = confidential information.

Data values	Data description	Year	Sector	Need
19,430	Number of pupils	2016/17	All schools	Moderate learning difficulties
10	Number of pupils	2021/22	Nursery schools	Moderate learning difficulties
560	Number of pupils	2017/18	Middle schools	Moderate learning difficulties
615	Number of pupils	2019/20	Special schools	Moderate learning difficulties
5	Number of pupils	2018/19	Nursery schools	Moderate learning difficulties
5	Number of pupils	2020/21	Nursery schools	Moderate learning difficulties
15,150	Number of pupils	2022/23	All schools	Moderate learning difficulties
7,980	Number of pupils	2016/17	Secondary schools	Moderate learning difficulties
6,735	Number of pupils	2022/23	Secondary schools	Moderate learning difficulties
710	Number of pupils	2017/18	Special schools	Moderate learning difficulties
5,890	Number of pupils	2019/20	Primary schools	Moderate learning difficulties
5	Number of pupils	2016/17	Nursery schools	Moderate learning difficulties
8,445	Number of pupils	2017/18	Primary schools	Moderate learning difficulties
750	Number of pupils	2019/20	Middle schools	Moderate learning difficulties
525	Number of pupils	2024/25	Middle schools	Moderate learning difficulties
4,870	Number of pupils	2023/24	Secondary schools	Moderate learning difficulties
605	Number of pupils	2022/23	Special schools	Moderate learning difficulties
6,245	Number of pupils	2018/19	Secondary schools	Moderate learning difficulties
4,615	Number of pupils	2024/25	Primary schools	Moderate learning difficulties
4,935	Number of pupils	2020/21	Secondary schools	Moderate learning difficulties
16,875	Number of pupils	2017/18	All schools	Moderate learning difficulties
14,760	Number of pupils	2018/19	All schools	Moderate learning difficulties
570	Number of pupils	2023/24	Special schools	Moderate learning difficulties
5,255	Number of pupils	2021/22	Secondary schools	Moderate learning difficulties
655	Number of pupils	2018/19	Special schools	Moderate learning difficulties
495	Number of pupils	2016/17	Middle schools	Moderate learning difficulties
585	Number of pupils	2020/21	Special schools	Moderate learning difficulties
695	Number of pupils	2018/19	Middle schools	Moderate learning difficulties
380	Number of pupils	2021/22	Middle schools	Moderate learning difficulties
6,035	Number of pupils	2021/22	Primary schools	Moderate learning difficulties
12,600	Number of pupils	2019/20	All schools	Moderate learning difficulties
7,270	Number of pupils	2022/23	Primary schools	Moderate learning difficulties
11,385	Number of pupils	2020/21	All schools	Moderate learning difficulties
25	Number of pupils	2024/25	Nursery schools	Moderate learning difficulties
670	Number of pupils	2020/21	Middle schools	Moderate learning difficulties
5	Number of pupils	2022/23	Nursery schools	Moderate learning difficulties
[c]	Number of pupils	2017/18	Nursery schools	Moderate learning difficulties
10,170	Number of pupils	2016/17	Primary schools	Moderate learning difficulties
530	Number of pupils	2022/23	Middle schools	Moderate learning difficulties
460	Number of pupils	2023/24	Middle schools	Moderate learning difficulties
5,825	Number of pupils	2023/24	Primary schools	Moderate learning difficulties
15	Number of pupils	2023/24	Nursery schools	Moderate learning difficulties
12,285	Number of pupils	2021/22	All schools	Moderate learning difficulties
610	Number of pupils	2021/22	Special schools	Moderate learning difficulties
11,740	Number of pupils	2023/24	All schools	Moderate learning difficulties
5,345	Number of pupils	2019/20	Secondary schools	Moderate learning difficulties
3,510	Number of pupils	2024/25	Secondary schools	Moderate learning difficulties
630	Number of pupils	2024/25	Special schools	Moderate learning difficulties
5	Number of pupils	2019/20	Nursery schools	Moderate learning difficulties
5,195	Number of pupils	2020/21	Primary schools	Moderate learning difficulties
9,305	Number of pupils	2024/25	All schools	Moderate learning difficulties
7,160	Number of pupils	2018/19	Primary schools	Moderate learning difficulties
7,160	Number of pupils	2017/18	Secondary schools	Moderate learning difficulties
785	Number of pupils	2016/17	Special schools	Moderate learning difficulties
1,225	Number of pupils	2019/20	Middle schools	General learning difficulties
10	Number of pupils	2020/21	Nursery schools	General learning difficulties
21,505	Number of pupils	2017/18	Primary schools	General learning difficulties
6,695	Number of pupils	2021/22	Primary schools	General learning difficulties
125	Number of pupils	2016/17	Special schools	General learning difficulties
620	Number of pupils	2021/22	Middle schools	General learning difficulties
1,040	Number of pupils	2018/19	Middle schools	General learning difficulties
560	Number of pupils	2016/17	Middle schools	General learning difficulties
33,170	Number of pupils	2019/20	All schools	General learning difficulties
10	Number of pupils	2018/19	Nursery schools	General learning difficulties
36,390	Number of pupils	2018/19	All schools	General learning difficulties
[c]	Number of pupils	2021/22	Nursery schools	General learning difficulties
15	Number of pupils	2016/17	Nursery schools	General learning difficulties
21,230	Number of pupils	2018/19	Primary schools	General learning difficulties
240	Number of pupils	2020/21	Special schools	General learning difficulties
12,785	Number of pupils	2020/21	Secondary schools	General learning difficulties
18,270	Number of pupils	2019/20	Primary schools	General learning difficulties
21,455	Number of pupils	2016/17	Primary schools	General learning difficulties
230	Number of pupils	2019/20	Special schools	General learning difficulties
15	Number of pupils	2017/18	Nursery schools	General learning difficulties
30,655	Number of pupils	2020/21	All schools	General learning difficulties
14,025	Number of pupils	2016/17	Secondary schools	General learning difficulties
13,960	Number of pupils	2017/18	Secondary schools	General learning difficulties
135	Number of pupils	2017/18	Special schools	General learning difficulties
16,295	Number of pupils	2020/21	Primary schools	General learning difficulties
[c]	Number of pupils	2019/20	Nursery schools	General learning difficulties
13,855	Number of pupils	2021/22	All schools	General learning difficulties
180	Number of pupils	2018/19	Special schools	General learning difficulties
175	Number of pupils	2021/22	Special schools	General learning difficulties
36,180	Number of pupils	2016/17	All schools	General learning difficulties
1,320	Number of pupils	2020/21	Middle schools	General learning difficulties
13,925	Number of pupils	2018/19	Secondary schools	General learning difficulties
13,450	Number of pupils	2019/20	Secondary schools	General learning difficulties
36,415	Number of pupils	2017/18	All schools	General learning difficulties
805	Number of pupils	2017/18	Middle schools	General learning difficulties
6,360	Number of pupils	2021/22	Secondary schools	General learning difficulties
55	Number of pupils	2019/20	Middle schools	Severe learning difficulties
5	Number of pupils	2020/21	Nursery schools	Severe learning difficulties
[c]	Number of pupils	2021/22	Nursery schools	Severe learning difficulties
1,690	Number of pupils	2016/17	Special schools	Severe learning difficulties
690	Number of pupils	2021/22	Primary schools	Severe learning difficulties
40	Number of pupils	2016/17	Middle schools	Severe learning difficulties
755	Number of pupils	2016/17	Primary schools	Severe learning difficulties
2,930	Number of pupils	2018/19	All schools	Severe learning difficulties
365	Number of pupils	2018/19	Secondary schools	Severe learning difficulties
735	Number of pupils	2017/18	Primary schools	Severe learning difficulties

Showing 1 to 100 of 734 rows

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Main information

• Most recent update: 24 September 2025
• Next update expected: July 2026
• Designation: Official statistics
• Data provider: Welsh Government
• Data source: Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC)
• Time period covered: September 2016 to August 2025

Data notes

• Rounding applied:

  Numbers are rounded to the nearest 5.

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.

• Related reports:
  • Schools' census results

Published by

• Organisation: Welsh Government
• Contact email: school.stats@gov.wales

Metadata

The metadata for this dataset is not included when you download the data. You can download this separately. This contains all the information from the 'About this dataset' tab.