Review shows no SNA concerns
The findings in inspection reports published by the Department of Education yesterday and last month appear to contradict Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe’s insistence that many schools have kept SNAs employed after the pupils they were working with left or no longer needed them. An ongoing review of SNA posts in all 4,000 primary and second-level schools could result in almost 1,200 of about 10,500 jobs being axed.
The review by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) was sought by Mr O’Keeffe last March after visits to 100 sample schools by his inspectors suggested SNAs were being employed outside the criteria for meeting care needs of pupils with disabilities. He insisted in the Seanad on Wednesday that children who need an SNA will continue to get one but that the review would only result in SNAs being withdrawn if the criteria were not being met.
