Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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130. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of SNAs employed in September 2019 in special classes in secondary schools. [7497/21]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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131. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of SNAs employed in September 2019 in mainstream classes in secondary schools. [7498/21]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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132. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of SNAs employed in September 2019 in special classes in primary schools. [7499/21]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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133. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of SNAs employed in September 2019 in mainstream classes in primary schools. [7500/21]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 130 to 133, inclusive, together.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible for the planning and cordination of education provision for children with special educational needs including the allocation of SNA posts.

The following table outlines the number of SNA posts allocated to schools at September 2019. In addition, 2,556 SNA posts were allocated to special schools in September 2019. Information of the number of people employed to fill the posts allocated is not available.

Budget 2021 provided for an additional 990 additional Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) posts for allocation to schools, bringing the total numbers to 18,000 by the end of December 2021. This allocation of SNAs is to meet the care needs of pupils in 2021 and will enable the establishment of new special classes, creation of new places in special schools, support children in mainstream classes and the transition to the new allocation model for the 2021/22 school year.

The Budget 2021 increase to 18,000 SNAs posts represents an increase of increase of 70% in the number of SNAs provided since 2011 at which point 10,575 SNAs were available.

The NCSE has published statistical information regarding SNA allocations for all schools which can be accessed on the NCSE website at www.ncse.ie or by using the following link .

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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134. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of children in mainstream primary school classes receiving the assistance of an SNA in September 2019. [7501/21]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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135. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of children in mainstream secondary school classes receiving the assistance of an SNA in September 2019. [7502/21]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 134 and 135 together.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) have provided figures for Primary and post primary pupils in main stream classes recieving assistance from Special Needs Assistans at the end of the 2018/19 school year. The information is provided in the table below.

The NCSE has responsibility for planning and coordinating school supports for children with special educational needs including the allocation of SNAs and reviews. My Department does not have a role in making individual school determinations.

The Special Needs Assistant (SNA) scheme is designed to provide schools with additional adult support staff who can assist children with special educational needs who also have additional and significant care needs. Such support is provided in order to facilitate the attendance of those pupils at school and also to minimise disruption to class or teaching time for the pupils concerned, or for their peers, and with a view to developing their independent living skills.

SNAs are not allocated to individual children but to schools as a school based resource. The deployment of SNAs within schools is a matter for the individual Principal/Board of Management of the school. 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.

SNA support is allocated to schools in accordance with the criteria set out in Department Circular 0030/2014, which provides details of the primary care needs for which SNA support will usually be provided and sets out the types of secondary care associated tasks which SNAs may often perform, but only once they have been allocated on the basis of a requirement to provide for primary care needs.

The NCSE has published details of SNA allocations for all schools which are available to view on a per county basis. Details can be accessed on the NCSE website at www.ncse.ie or by using the following link: .