Malcolm Noonan (Green Party)
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Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta McConalogue.

Eileen Lynch (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, for being here with us this morning. I am seeking an urgent update from the Minister for education on the ongoing National Council for Special Education, NCSE, review of the special needs assistant, SNA, scheme. I refer in particular to the very real and immediate consequences the review is having on schools, children and teachers across the country.In recent weeks, schools across my constituency of Cork North-West have been informed of significant reductions in SNA allocations arising from this review, including the schools in Kilmurry, Ballyhass and Bweeng, and in my own parish of Aghabullogue, to name a few. These decisions are being communicated to schools without clarity or transparency, and without any meaningful engagement with parents or staff. Aghabullogue National School has been notified that it is to lose one of its two SNAs, while Bweeng National School has been informed it will lose two SNAs. I have been inundated with calls and emails from parents and teachers who are incredibly concerned about this, and what it will mean in reality to remove these front-line supports.

As we all know, SNAs are not an extra or a luxury. They are essential to the safe, inclusive and effective functioning of many classrooms. Removing SNA support does not just affect the individual child. It affects the entire classroom because it affects the learning environment, the teacher's ability to teach and the well-being of every other pupil in the classroom. Teachers are telling me that without adequate SNA support, they will be asked to manage increasingly complex needs alone, while still delivering the curriculum to a full class. It is not fair or sustainable. It places teachers under enormous strain and, ultimately, undermines the quality of education for all children because this greater need will be placed on teachers where SNAs had been playing a role.

What I find particularly concerning are the strict criteria being applied by the SENOs under this review. Schools are basically being told that SNA support is now effectively reserved only for children assessed as having level 3 needs, such as toileting requirements, acute medical conditions or profound physical disabilities. This approach fails to recognise the reality of need in our classrooms today. Many children with autism, sensory processing difficulties, behavioural or emotional regulation challenges or significant learning needs may not meet this narrow definition. Nonetheless, they require consistent SNA support in order to allow them to access education in a fair manner. Early intervention in these cases is key, as we know. Reducing supports at primary level risks greater challenges further down the line and runs completely counter to our stated commitment to inclusive education.

Parents and teachers are anxious. There is a lack of clear communication from the Department about how decisions are being made and what the long-term vision for the SNA scheme actually is. Today, I am seeking clarity on the current status and timeline of the NCSE review of the SNA scheme, and an answer as to why so many children with significant needs are now deemed ineligible. Why are kids who, this time last year, were eligible for an SNA now suddenly ineligible? In the vast majority of circumstances, their needs have not changed. Why is their support being taken away? What reassurance can I, as a public representative, give to schools like Aghabullogue and Bweeng, and the many schools across the country that are affected by this, that the decision can be reviewed and revisited, with the potential for reinstatement?

We all agree that SNAs play a vital role in our education system, and nobody is disputing that. This review cannot result in a narrowing of support that will leave vulnerable children behind. I urge the Minister to listen to schools, parents and teachers, and ensure that any reform strengthens inclusive education.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Senator for raising this matter. The 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 NCSE has responsibility for co-ordinating and advising on the education provision and care support for children and young people with special educational needs in our schools, including the allocation of SNA support to schools.

Reflecting the central role that SNAs play in the successful inclusion of students with additional and significant care needs in schools, the Department of Education and Youth has been steadily building the level of SNA support in our education system. The number of SNAs allocated to schools nationally has increased by 45% since the 2020-21 school year. 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. They play a key role in supporting children and young people with care needs as part of a whole-school approach, which also includes almost 22,000 special education teachers across the country.

There are many reasons that the level of need for SNA support in schools may fluctuate, including falling enrolments, reduced or increased care needs and changing demographics as children move from primary to post-primary schools. The NCSE reviews of SNA allocation in schools across the country involve a very detailed examination of the care needs in all settings within the continuum of provision in a school in order to ensure that SNAs are allocated to schools to support students who have the greatest level of significant care needs.

A school that is not satisfied with the outcome of its SNA review may avail of the NCSE’s internal appeal mechanism, and full details are available on the NCSE website. In addition, the NCSE remains available to schools to provide advice on the deployment of their SNA allocation. The NCSE allocation and review processes are essential to ensure SNA support is provided where it is most needed.

The Department of Education and Youth is mindful of the impact of a reduction in allocation on SNAs personally. This is among the reasons the Department is working with the NCSE to develop an SNA redeployment scheme. This important policy initiative, which is in the final stages of development, will ensure that, as far as possible, competent, knowledgeable and experienced SNAs are retained in our schools.

The SNA redeployment scheme is being implemented for the 2025-26 school year, providing an opportunity for the redeployment of SNAs as the need arises for the start of the 2026-27 school year. It is important to note that SNAs in surplus posts identified through the NCSE’s SNA review process will remain in the relevant school for the rest of the 2025-26 academic year. Assuming no change to SNA allocations in the meantime, eligible SNAs in standard posts, both full-time and part-time, who opt for redeployment, may be redeployed to a new post in September 2026.

The Department of Education and Youth and the NCSE are committed to delivering an education system that is of the highest quality, where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential.

Eileen Lynch (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for taking this Commencement matter. I appreciate this is not within his portfolio.

I note the content of the response. I do not feel that it particularly provides many answers. The 45% increase in SNA allocation since the 2020-21 school year is well and good, but what will that figure be when we are back for the 2026-27 school year, when all of these reductions are taken into account?

The importance of the role of the SNA cannot be overstated. As I said earlier, they are providing a service which, in many cases, is the difference between kids being able to go to a mainstream school and having to go to a separate or special school. Taking these supports away means there is no way certain children will be able to stay in the mainstream. It will put massive pressure on teachers and classrooms, and potentially lower the standard of education that the rest of the children within schools are receiving.

This is an issue that affects many areas in my own constituency, but it is also affecting schools right across the country. I appreciate that there is a review and that an appeal system is in place. However, the feedback I am getting from teachers is that they are almost scared to put in an appeal because they are kind of being told that if they put in an appeal, there is every chance they could lose a further SNA. While I appreciate the need for the efficient use of resources, when we are talking about SNAs and educational supports, it is incredible that we are seeing such losses of SNAs under this review. If the need was there last year, and the circumstances of the children availing of the SNA support have not changed, why would they not be entitled to an SNA?

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I will certainly relay the Senator's contribution and the issues she has raised to the Minister for education. I know and very much understand the value of SNAs. It is something the Government very much prioritises, which is why we have seen an across-the-board increase in the number of SNAs every year. It poses significant challenges for a school when there are changes, reviews and adjustments. It is important that each school engages with the NCSE regarding its concerns to ensure they are fully considered and communicated. There is also an appeals process. I will certainly report back on the Senator's contribution and relay the concerns she has raised to the Minister for education, Deputy Naughton.