Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 January 2026
491. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of special needs assistant posts in primary schools, expressed in full-time equivalent terms, allocated for the 2025-2026 school year, by county; and the number of schools in each county in receipt of SNA support, in tabular form. [3438/26]
View answerEnabling students with special educational needs to receive an education that meets their needs is a priority for this Government. It is also a key priority for me, my department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE).
The vast majority of students with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers. Where students with more complex needs require additional supports, special class and special school places are provided. This is in keeping with policy on an inclusive education, which advocates that students will be supported to receive an education in the most inclusive setting possible.
Special needs assistants (SNA)s play a central role in the successful inclusion of students with additional and significant care needs in schools. They help ensure that these students can access an education to enable them to achieve their best outcomes and reach their full potential.
SNA posts are allocated to schools as a school-based resource. Principals/board of managements deploy SNAs within schools to meet the care support requirements of the students enrolled whom SNA support has been allocated. This provides schools flexibility in how the SNA support is utilised.
If a school feels like it has insufficient SNA support to meet the needs of its students an application can be submitted to the NCSE requesting a review of its allocation. Detailed information on the NCSE's SNA review process is published on the NCSE's website (https://ncse.ie/sna-review-mainstream).
My department has been steadily building the level of SNA support in our education system. This school year there will be over 23,000 SNAs allocated to schools, working in our education system committed to supporting and nurturing students with special educational needs, enabling them to achieve their best outcomes and reach their full potential. Budget 2026 provides for a further 1,717 SNA posts which will bring the total number of SNAs to close to 25,000 by the end of 2026.
It is important to remember that when the NCSE allocates a SNA post, the board of management as the employer, is responsible for filling the vacancy. The decision on whether to employ a full time SNA to fill a full-time post or to employ an equivalent number of part time SNAs rests with the employer.
The NCSE publishes the SNA allocations for each school year, for ease of reference these allocations are broken down by county and by school type and are available on the NCSE's website (www.ncse.ie/set-hours-and-sna-allocations).
My department and the NCSE are committed to delivering an education system that is of the highest quality and where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential.
