David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will convey the Deputy's concerns to the Minister. SNAs are provided to assist recognised schools in catering for pupils with disabilities who have educational and significant care needs in an educational context and where the nature of these care needs have been outlined in medical and professional reports as being so significant that a pupil will require additional assistance in order to be able to attend school and participate in education. In considering applications for SNA support for individual pupils the special educational needs organisers take account of the pupil's needs and consider the resources available to a school to identify whether there is a need for additionality or whether the school might reasonably be expected to meet the needs of the pupil from its current level of resources. The Minister wishes to emphasise that SNAs are allocated not to individual pupils but to schools as a school based resource. The Government is committed to ensuring children with special educational needs are supported and given every opportunity to fulfil their potential. The Department's policy is to ensure every child who is assessed as needing SNA support will have access to such support. Special needs assistants play a key role in supporting children who have additional care needs to attend school and participate in education. More children with special educational needs are participating and we are investing more than ever before to support them. As I said, the NCSE appeals process may be invoked by a parent or a school where it is considered that a child was not granted access to SNA support on the grounds that departmental policy had not been met in accordance with Circular 0030/2014. Schools can also appeal a decision where the school considers that the NCSE, in applying departmental policy, has not allocated the appropriate level of SNA support to the school to meet the special education or other care needs of the children concerned.

See this speech in context