Ms Caroline Cockerill:

I thank the committee for the opportunity to address members today. I am speaking as a teacher, a parent of autistic children and an autistic person myself who has navigated our school system. I am also here on behalf of Embrace Autism, a support group in Drumcondra that, like many around the country, seeks to support autistic people and their parents in their local area. The additional needs or special needs assistant is one of the most vital supports we provide to children with additional needs. SNAs make it possible for many students to access education on an equal footing with their peers, yet the system that sustains these roles is under strain.

The limits on recruitment and retention have become persistent challenges and the children who rely on these professionals feel the impact most acutely. Additionally, I am deeply concerned about the NCSE’s recently published SNA review process for 2025-26 guidelines. These changes pose a risk of serious harm to children with additional needs and their families while continuing to increase pressure on schools already at breaking point in trying to support children’s needs. First, there are narrowed criteria and rigid timelines. Applications for review must be submitted between 15 September and 24 October, which does not allow for a mid-year review and any needs that may arise after this, especially considering the initial settling-in period for infants.

Another big concern is that SNA allocations are now unified across mainstream and special classes. The level of need in an autism or special class is often much higher than in mainstream and rightly was previously subject to a separate process and review. Under the new guidelines, though, if an extra SNA is needed in an autism class, it is expected that they will be taken from mainstream first. This seems to be robbing Peter to pay Paul and pits one child’s disability against another.

Let us consider the reality of what this means. A child in mainstream could be just about coping in a busy and demanding class and their safe person who supports them, along with other children, will be removed and redeployed to a different area. This could cause serious anxiety for that child and hinder their ability to access the curriculum. The needs of the child in question may not be as visible or vocal. It is utterly unfair to make principals of schools make these decisions on whose need is greatest when we should be empowering them to support all children adequately. This is nothing more than a question of money and will. It is a decision based on budgetary constraints to move around the deckchairs as opposed to the will to properly fund and support the true need.

Educators around the country are seeing the strain on schools as they scramble to cover the breadth of needs across an entire school with the limited number of SNAs allocated and the NCSE has now made it more difficult to access an increase in SNAs by narrowing the criteria for which they are granted. Teachers are being stretched beyond their training to meet complex needs, often with no additional adult support in the classroom, which is damaging their ability to teach the entire class. Behavioural challenges only increase with limited support. I stress this is not the child’s fault but is the reflection of their unmet need. Of course, it results in continued disruption to the entire teaching day and the whole class.

Mothers and fathers are also seeing the anxiety on a child’s face daily when their needs are not being sufficiently supported or when a familiar support suddenly vanishes. Not only as a mother but as an autistic person who navigated our school system unsupported and who personally struggled to attend school and ended up with severe anxiety, I can understand how children in mainstream whose disability may not be as visible feel and how terrifying and isolating that treatment can be. There is no doubt that the number of SNAs has dramatically increased since I was in school. However, that is only catching up to the previous chronic and complete failure in the system. The present now recognises the vital role that SNAs play in supporting the needs and complexity of issues for children but this only continues to increase. We need more SNAs. Our children deserve more. It is as simple as that.

Individual schools are constantly fighting for the resourcing they need to support the children coming into them. There is a disconnect between what the NCSE deems worthy of support and the cold, hard reality that schools are facing on the ground. My children and thousands of others do not need isolated acts of kindness. They need a system that ensures reliable, skilled assistance throughout their educational journey. When we strengthen SNA recruitment and retention, we strengthen the very foundation of inclusive education. Focuses on this are investments in equity and dignity, and in the potential of every young person. I urge this committee to continue reviewing and enhancing the national strategy with urgency and ambition. Let us build a future where every child, regardless of neurotype or ability, has the consistent support they deserve and where parents can trust that their children’s needs will not be overlooked when they change classrooms, schools or life stages.

The State has, at best, a chequered past in terms of looking after the most vulnerable in society, an attitude that has sometimes involved doing the bare minimum or consigning those of difference to the dustbin. The entire concept of not leaving children behind, supporting them inclusively through all efforts and stages of their education and accepting and championing diversity is at the very heart of what SNAs bring to the education system and to children’s lives. The opportunity to lean in and support this to a greater extent is not one that the State should let pass it by. I thank committee members for their attention and their commitment to the children of Ireland.