Pa Daly
Ceist:480. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide a breakdown of the number of SNA vacancies, by county, in each of the years 2020 to 2025, in tabular form. [73837/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThursday, 18 December 2025
Ceisteanna (480)
Freagraí scríofa
Enabling 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 promotes that students will be supported to receive an education in the most inclusive setting possible.
Special needs assistant (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 year, school type and location and are available on the NCSE's website at: www.ncse.ie/set-hours-and-sna-allocations
If a school feels 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 at ncse.ie/sna-review-mainstream. Each case is individually assessed and is based on the student profile of each school.
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.
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.