Special school must scrap classes as assistants cut

EDUCATION Minister Batt O’Keeffe’s plans to cut hundreds of special needs assistant places could force a vital special needs school to axe a series of courses on the curriculum, its principal has claimed.

Brendan Hennigan, principal of St Joseph’s school in Tallaght, Dublin, said it may be unable to continue a number of courses due to the scale of cuts to be imposed.

While 17 special needs assistants are currently in place at the 90-pupil facility, over the coming months the Department of Education is set to drastically reduce the funding available for these places.