Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

68. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she or the NCSE are currently carrying out a review of SNA allocations; the reason for the review; and the timeframes involved; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52294/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

This 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.

SNAs play a central role in the successful inclusion of students with additional and significant care needs in schools by helping to ensure that these students can access an education to enable them to achieve their best outcomes and reach their full potential.

My department has been steadily building on the number of special needs assistants (SNAs) in our education system. There are now over 23,000 SNAs allocated to schools. working in our education system committed to supporting and nurturing children with special educational needs, enabling them to achieve their best outcomes and reach their full potential. This is the highest number ever.

The NCSE issues guidance each year to schools regarding SNA reviews and the guidance for 2025/26 school year issued on the 12th September 2025.

It is important to clarify some of the issues raised since publication of the guidelines.

The process for allocating SNAs has been in place since 2014 and is not changing this year. There has been no freeze on SNAs, in fact the number of SNAs in our schools has increased by 43% in the last 5 years alone.

Schools were issued with their allocations for the 2025/26 school year in June and the SNA review window from 15 September to 24 October relates to schools who believe they do not have sufficient SNAs to support their care needs at present.

A school can apply to the NCSE at any time during the school year, as in previous years, for a review where emerging or new care needs arise. An emerging care need for example would be changing care needs in their existing student enrolment, newly identified care need or a new enrolment(s) with care needs.

The NCSE has written to all schools since the publication of the guidelines to clarify that a school can request a review during the school year and not just in the review period set out in the guidelines.

The following are the reasons for the timeline of reviews contained in the guidance:

• Supports the earlier announcement of allocations for the 2026/27 school year to align with the release of the annual staffing schedule.
• Management bodies, staff representative bodies, schools and SNA’s have all requested the department to ensure that SNA allocations issue earlier each year and ideally should align with the general staffing allocation in February each year.
• Supports the SNA workforce by giving them early clarity on their roles.
• Facilitates the SNA Redeployment Scheme.