Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 27 March 2025
267. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education the steps she will take to address the shortage of special needs assistants and ensure that they receive appropriate training and support; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14925/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThis government is fully committed to supporting children with special educational needs to fulfil their full potential and the Programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs.
In 2025 over €2.9 billion will be spent supporting children with special educational needs. This figure builds on previous years and represents over a quarter of the education budget. It will provide for, amongst other things, 400 new special classes and 300 new special school places. It will also increase our special educational posts by 768 special education teacher and 1,600 special needs assistant (SNA) posts nationwide.
By the end of the year there will be over 20,800 special educational teachers and 23,400 SNAs in our mainstream classes, special classes and special schools. This will mean we will have over 44,200 teachers and SNAs working in our education system committed to supporting and nurturing children with special educational needs, enabling them to achieve their best outcomes and reach their full potential.
Allocations of special education teaching posts for the next school year have recently been provided to schools and SNA allocations will be confirmed by the NCSE to schools in quarter two this year.
SNAs 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 education to enable them to achieve their best outcomes and reach their full potential.
SNAs 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 children enrolled whom SNA support has been allocated. This provides flexibility for schools in how the SNA support is utilised.
If a school believes 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. Each case is individually assessed and is based on the student profile of each school.
The NCSE will continue this year to prioritise the full allocation of the additional 1,600 SNAs to schools, including to support up to 400 new special classes and 300 new special school places for this September.
Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) make a valuable contribution to our school communities through the provision of adult support to enable students with significant care needs attend school. My Department has established an SNA Workforce Development Unit to ensure that sufficient time and attention is given to examination of the SNA role and any reform or development required. Work is currently progressing in consultation with stakeholders on the first Special Needs Assistants Workforce Development Plan with a scheduled completion date of September 2025. The plan will include actions across five pillars including Pillar 2 Establishment of a SNA Learning and Development Programme and Pillar 3 Supporting SNA Recruitment, Retention and Diversity.
Separately, following a recent procurement process for the continued provision of the SNA National Training Programme a contract has been awarded to the successful tenderer, Atlantic Technological University (ATU). The course will be jointly offered between the School of Education and the School of Nursing, Health Sciences and Disability Studies at ATU St Angela’s College in Sligo.
Approximately 2,962 SNAs have completed the course to date, with 881 SNAs currently completing the course for the 2024/2025 academic year. Feedback from students who have completed the course has been overwhelmingly positive. My department fully covers the course fees for SNAs currently employed in recognised schools (primary, post-primary and special).
My department and the NCSE remain 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.
