The 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 education funding will exceed €3 billion in 2026–up 58% since 2020 and the highest amount ever provided. The number of special needs assistants (SNAs) allocated to schools nationally has increased by 45% between the 2020/21 school year and the present. By the end of the 2026/27 school year there will be close to 25,000 SNAs in our mainstream classes, special classes and special schools.
SNAs play a key role in the successful inclusion of students with additional and significant care needs in schools to enable them to achieve their best outcomes and reach their full potential. It is important to note that there have been increases in SNAs in all counties and across all education settings since 2020, including mainstream, special classes and special schools.
As I outlined recently there will be no reductions to special needs assistants for the next school year 2026/27.
The SNA Allocation Circular for 2026/27 school year was published on 3rd June 2026 and is available on gov.ie
The circular outlines the following:
• Where a school has an existing SNA allocation and a SNA review identifies a surplus in that school, that school’s allocation will not be reduced below one SNA post.
• In cases where the NCSE identify a substantial change in the care need profile of any given school any proposed reduction will be limited to a maximum of 1 SNA post. This will allow school leadership to make a seamless/gradual adjustment to the deployment of SNA support in the school in line with the student support planning process.
In addition, the NCSE will maintain close contact with the school leadership from the start of the 2027/28 school year to ensure that the change has not impacted pupils.
All schools reviewed by the NCSE or where a school submitted an appeal, since February 2026, have been contacted directly by the NCSE with the outcome by the 4 June.
The NCSE have published details of the SNA review process for 2026/27 on their website www.ncse.ie/school-leaders/guidelines-and-applications/sna-review/. If a school has a concern with either their SNA allocation for the 2026/27 school year or the outcome of a SNA review/appeal, they should discuss the matter with their NCSE Special Education Needs Organiser (SENO).
On the 3 June, my department published the first ever SNA Workforce Development Plan, a landmark in the roadmap for the development of special education.
Built around five strategic pillars, the Plan recognises the vital contribution SNAs make to supporting children and young people with special educational needs to facilitate their attendance, participation and inclusion in school life. It sets out a clear framework to strengthen and support SNAs through enhanced professional development, greater role clarity, workforce sustainability measures and stronger collaboration across school communities.
Further updates, including more information on the SNA Workforce Development Plan can be found www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/campaigns/special-needs-assistant-sna-workforce-development-plan/. and on the www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/publications/special-needs-assistant-sna-information-hub/ on www.gov.ie/en/.
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.
