610 Additional SNA Posts Approved for September 2015

I welcome the announcement that up to 610 additional SNA posts have been approved for September 2015 for children with additional needs.

As rapporteur for the Education Committee report on The Role of Special Needs Assistants, I convened a meeting of the committee with IMPACT, the Department of Education and Skills, the NCSE and the National Parents Council Primary to discuss the role of SNAs on Wednesday last.  The issue of uncertainty as to the allocations of SNA posts for next year was a major issue raised and a matter which I pushed to be resolved as a matter of urgency.

The additional posts announced today are a result of a significant increase in assessed need and point to our commitment in ensuring that children with additional needs are appropriately supported in schools.  The next school year will see 11,820 whole-time SNA posts being made available at both primary and post-primary level and represents an 11.7% increase since 2011.

I also welcome the announcement by Minister Jan O'Sullivan that she has requested the Department of Education and Skills and the NCSE to review the SNA scheme.  The review will examine the scheme in terms of meeting its objectives, reasons for the increase in demand this year, use of resources and timing of applications and allocations.  I fully agree that each of these areas need to be examined to ensure that children with additional needs receive the most appropriate and effective supports and that SNA posts are used in the most effective and fair manner possible.

I look forward to continued engagement with the Minister, the Department of Education, the NCSE, SNAs and other relevant stakeholders to see the scheme move forward in an appropriate fashion and strike a fair balance for all involved.