Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 June 2025
285. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Education and Youth if schools identified as having surplus SNA positions will retain these for the 2025/2026 school year; if they will be retained for future school years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33336/25]
View answerThis government is fully committed to supporting children with special educational needs to fulfil their potential and the Programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective.
There are two schools closing in June 2025 and the SNA posts will be removed at the end of this school year. No other SNA post will be removed from any other schools for the 2025/26 school year.
While the NCSE have identified at this time approximately 70 posts in schools where the care needs have reduced, it is not intended that these posts will be removed from a school’s overall allocation until the end of the 2025/26 academic year.
This will allow for the SNA/s involved to continue to support the school community for an additional year at which point the recently announced SNA re-deployment scheme will become fully operational and available to the affected SNAs.
The NCSE will, as done this year and in previous years, review all school allocations for the 2026/27 school year and will allocate or reallocate SNAs to schools based on the care needs of the students enrolled.
