Pa Daly
Question:370. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of SNAS in each of the years 2020 to date, broken down by county, in tabular form. [41397/26]
View answerThursday, 28 May 2026
Questions (370)
Written answers
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision and care support for children and young people with special educational needs in our schools, including the allocation of special needs assistant (SNA) support to schools.
SNAs are very important in supporting students with additional and significant care needs take part in school life. Because of this, the department has been increasing SNA numbers for many years. There are now over 23,000 SNAs working in schools. Budget 2026 provides for a further 1,717 SNA posts which will bring the total number of SNAs to 24,986 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.
Since 2020/21, the number of SNAs in schools has grown by 45%. Every county has seen an increase in SNA support over this period.
The NCSE publish statistics on SNA allocations to primary, post primary and special schools in tabular form, by county, for each school year, this information is available on their website.
The table attached shows the number of whole-time equivalent (WTE) SNA posts allocated in each year.
The 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.
Question No. 371 answered with Question No. 369.