Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 May 2026
438. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children in County Mayo who are expected to attend mainstream schools with SNA support in September 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33059/26]
View answerThe National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is the statutory body responsible for the provision of special education and allocating supports for students with special educational needs.
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.
The NCSE has published the SNA allocations for the 2025/26 school year. For ease of reference these allocations are broken down 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 achieve their full potential.
