Government accused of causing 'fear and distress' over move to cut SNA numbers in schools

Labour leader Ivana Bacik said when an 'SNA is removed from a mainstream classroom, a child suffers'.

The review of special needs assistant provision dominated leaders’ questions in the Dáil, with the Government accused of causing “fear and distress” and handling the management of allocations in a “crude” manner.

“A pause is not a plan, and we need clarity on what happens next,” said Labour leader Ivana Bacik.

“Any change in allocation process must be phased in, and new supports must be put in place before existing lifelines are taken away.

“Instead, the Department of Education's way, it seems, is to strip supports before new ones exist while children are still waiting years for assessments.” 

Ms Bacik argued when an “SNA is removed from a mainstream classroom, a child suffers”.

In response, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the Government was increasing the funding for SNA posts and the “issue” focused on the deployment of SNAs.

“Needs have increased. Challenges have increased in our schools also,” he told the Dáil.

There should be regular reviews always to make sure that we're targeting the children most in need, and children most in need get the optimal services.

“If you accept those reviews, well reviews can work both ways because of changing need. A lot of schools get increases when those reviews [are conducted]."

The "mistake" made here is that there hasn't been a comprehensive review for quite a number of years, he said.

"The NCSE, in endeavouring to correct that in one year, in my view, is not the correct approach," he added.

The Taoiseach also confirmed a circular on redeployment was being “finalised” and would be circulated to schools in the coming weeks.

Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns, meanwhile, argued the review of SNA allocations needed to focus on more than children’s physical disabilities and must consider sensory needs, difficulties with emotion regulation, and other complex needs that children may have.

“Instead of doing what needs to be done to achieve that, instead of improving pay conditions, instead of professionalising their role, instead of including more secondary care needs in their contracts, this Government has reduced this essential support down to numbers on a spreadsheet,” she said.

Meanwhile, anger is continuing to grow in Fianna Fáil over how the SNA review was conducted.

As reported by the Irish Examiner, the issue dominated its parliamentary party meeting on Tuesday evening, with TDs angry over how the situation was handled.

One TD said on Wednesday the main issue was communication, and complaints must be laid at the door of the NCSE. They questioned whether the minister Hildegarde Naughton was taken aback by the backlash and was ultimately “forced” into a “U-turn”.

However, Fianna Fáil TDs were also angry about the lack of information on what the review would entail, how long it would take, and the lack of engagement with schools.