Only a dozen SNAs allocated despite 475 posts held back

JUST over a dozen extra special needs assistants (SNAs) have been allocated to pupils who need care in the classroom despite the withholding of hundreds of posts by the Department of Education.

As part of a limit on SNA numbers to 10,575 by the department, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) reviewed provision of these staff to all schools with hundreds complaining that children have lost their SNA or have had the level of access cut since last year.

The department also ordered that 475 posts be held back before the start of the school year to allow for late or emergency applications for SNA support.

The Oireachtas committee on jobs, social protection and education heard concerns from Fianna Fáil education spokesman Brendan Smith that the allocation of the additional SNAs was taking too long.

Sé Goulding, the NCSE head of operations, said 800 applications were received up to mid-September and focus was being placed on urgent cases.

He told the committee that 15 to 20 SNAs have been allocated to schools where there was a clear and identified need but a prudent approach is being taken. But, he said, it is anticipated that all the additional SNA posts would be filled by the end of the year.

Jim Mulkerrins, principal officer in the department’s special education section, said there had been a 300% increase in the number of SNAs provided in the past 10 years, with a pay bill of about €342 million and it was incumbent on the department to manage this resource properly. He said that, as a result, it was important that where a surplus was identified, it be identified and withdrawn.

A Department of Education review published earlier this year showed there were 27% more SNAs than needed in almost 4,000 schools, with a 10% over-allocation in special schools. Many schools had retained one or more SNAs after the pupils they had been assigned to work with left.

The department told the NCSE before the summer to allocate just 90% of each school’s identified needs for resource teachers because of a limit of 9,950 such posts as part of the EU/IMF bailout conditions. Mr Mulkerrins said any remaining available posts would be allocated after the finalisation of late applications which are still being considered.