Batt O’Keeffe: expecting report by end of year
These staff help care for children with special needs at schools, based on assessments by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), and their numbers have risen from 300 in 1997 to almost 10,000 last year.
Philip Mullen, assistant general secretary of the IMPACT union, which represents 3,000 SNAs, said he has heard from dozens of principals in recent months who were alarmed by decisions to withdraw SNA allocations, or reduce the hours of care from an SNA for individual children in recent months, particularly in the south, west and north-west of the country.
But, he said, the biggest problem is that there is no opportunity to appeal these decisions by the NCSE’s special education needs organisers (SENOs). “The only person who can review the case is the same officer who made the decision, and that is only if additional information is provided. But there has to be greater accountability in the system.”
“We can’t blame the SENOs for following rules laid down by the Department of Education, although I have heard of one child having their SNA hours reduced without even being met by the SENO.”
He was speaking after staff and parents of children with special needs at a Co Cork school were told by the NCSE last week that three of their five special needs assistants are no longer needed. This will mean that four children who have had almost full-time care from an SNA must share just one SNA between them.
Mícheál Ó Deasmhúnaigh, principal of Lower Glanmire National School, said he was shocked to hear from the NCSE that he or the parents of the pupils could not appeal.
However, the Irish Examiner has learned that work at the NCSE to devise an appeal mechanism to have such decisions reconsidered is at an advanced stage. But it is still likely to be months before it becomes operational for schools or parents.
The Department of Education said it is satisfied that its criteria on allocation of SNAs and other resources are being implemented effectively by the NCSE. The department’s inspectors have been visiting schools as part of a value for money audit of the SNA system, with a report expected to be given to Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe by the end of the year.
