Special needs assistants fear job losses

THOUSANDS of special needs assistants working with disabled children in schools fear they may lose their jobs as a result of a Government review.

The Department of Education has asked every primary school to submit details of all special needs assistants (SNAs) and resource teachers as part of a census of staffing for special education.

The review was prompted by the backlog of applications for such staff, which left thousands of children without appropriate help when schools opened last month.