Special needs assistant care not yet assigned

Children, families and schools could be waiting another fortnight to find out what level of special needs assistant care will be available in September for pupils with care needs.

Despite most of the country’s 3,300 primary schools closing for summer holidays this week, the Department of Education or the National Council for Special Education have been unable to notify them of their allocations yet.

Last year, schools were told of their notifications in the last week of June, and in 2013 the allocations were issued on June 19. Schools must submit application for special needs assistant resources to the council by mid-March, and it advised Education Minister Jan O’Sullivan last week of the numbers needed based on assessment of those applications.