Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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197. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on the changes to the way special needs assistants are allocated to schools; the way these changes will impact on the overall number of SNAs and resource teachers in schools this year; the reason the changes were deemed necessary; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38673/14]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department clarified the criteria under which SNA support is allocated to schools, to support the care needs of qualifying children, in Circular 0030/2014, which issued to schools on 10th April 2014.

While there has been no change to the way in which Special Need Assistants (SNAs) are allocated by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), the circular provides clarification that schools should plan for the assignment and deployment of SNA supports in respect of children with care needs. The circular also clarifies circumstances when SNA support should be reduced or withdrawn, for example where care needs have diminished or where a child may have left a school. Children who require support of an SNA will continue to avail of such support.

There has also been no reduction to the overall number of SNA or resource teaching posts which may be allocated to schools. The number of SNA posts which may be allocated to schools increased from 10,575 posts to 10,965 posts for 2014.

Once SNAs have been allocated to schools, the deployment of SNAs within schools is then a matter for the individual Principal/Board of Management. SNAs should be deployed by the school in a manner which best meets the care support requirements of the children enrolled in the school for whom SNA support has been allocated. It is a matter for schools to allocate support as required, and on the basis of individual need, which allows schools flexibility in how the SNA support is utilised.

The purpose of this Circular is not to reduce the number of SNA posts in schools, but clarifies and restates the purpose of the SNA scheme which is to provide schools with additional support staff who can assist children with special educational needs who also have additional and significant care needs.

In June 2011, the Department published a Value for Money and Policy Review of the SNA scheme. In May 2013, the NCSE published its Policy Advice on Supporting Children with Special Educational Needs in Schools.

Both reports concluded that the SNA scheme has been highly successful in supporting the care needs of children with special needs in schools, and with assisting to facilitate their integration and inclusion. However, the reports also concluded that the intended purpose of the scheme was not always generally well understood by parents or schools and that the scope and purpose of the scheme should be clarified for schools.

There have been no changes to the way in which Resource Teachers are allocated to schools. The total number of Resource Teaching posts which the NCSE may allocate to schools to support children with special educational needs for the 2014/15 school year is presently set at 6,225 WTE posts.

This is more posts than has ever previously been made available to the NCSE to allocate to schools and shows that there has not been a reduction to the overall number of posts being allocated to schools for resource teaching support. The figure of 6,225 posts for 2014/15 should be compared with 5745 posts for 2013/14, and 5265 posts for the 2012/13 school year.