Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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33. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the proposals to ensure adequate provision of SNAs for schools this academic year. [59757/25]

Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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921. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on the shortage of special needs assistants across the education system; if regional or national workforce planning has been carried out to meet rising demand; the measures being taken to improve recruitment and retention; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60102/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 33 and 921 together.

My department has been steadily building the level of SNA support in our education system. This school year there will be 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. Budget 2026 provides for a further 1,717 SNA posts which will bring the total number of SNAs to close to 25,000 by the end of 2026.

The NCSE has published the SNA allocations for the 2025/26 school year. For ease of reference these allocations are broken down by school type and are available on the NCSE's website at www.ncse.ie/set-hours-and-sna-allocations. It is open to any school who feels it has insufficient SNA support to meet the needs of its students to seek a review of its allocation with the NCSE. When the NCSE completes the SNA review and if additional SNA support is identified as being required it will be provided. The NCSE can also make a local special educational needs organiser (SENO) available to the school to discuss their current deployment of SNA supports in the school and to put these supports to the best advantage of the students. The NCSE in-school support service is also available to schools to offer further guidance and support.

It is intended, for future academic years, to align the notification of SNA allocations along with the annual staffing schedules to schools (mainstream and special education teachers). This process normally occurs in February each year. This will allow schools to better plan for the teaching and care needs of their students and recruit in a timelier manner. It will also provide certainty and assurances to affected staff of their future school placements by allowing the SNA redeployment processes to conclude as appropriate.

The SNA redeployment scheme will start during the 2025/26 school year. SNAs in surplus posts identified through the NCSE’s SNA review process will remain in the relevant school for the rest of the academic year. Subject to identification of a suitable vacancy and assuming no change to SNA allocations in the meantime, they will subsequently be redeployed to a new post in September 2026.

My department is also currently developing a SNA workforce development plan which will bring further clarity and direction to the SNA service. The plan which is being developed in consultation and collaboration with education stakeholders including existing SNAs, school management bodies, parents and children is scheduled for delivery later in 2025.