Terrible timing but some positives in Special Needs Assistants Workforce Development Plan

The Irish Examiner's Education Correspondent on a key document regarding SNAs — and the Department of Education's decision to publish it on one of the busiest days of the year

Wed, 03 Jun, 2026 - 21:05

Jess Casey

Frantically scrolling through weighty documents, taking notes, and jotting down quotes on the first evening of the 2026 State exams.

You’d be forgiven for assuming this is a student cramming last-minute revision for tomorrow’s English paper 2.

But no — It is education correspondents reading through the Department of Education’s SNA Workforce Development Plan, the culmination of two years of intense negotiations and consultations, resulting in the most comprehensive review of the SNA role to date.

And all published on the busiest day of the year for us pesky reporters.

Second untimely publication of 2026

It's not even the first time this year the department has published something with massive policy ramifications at the most inconvenient time.

The results of its first national parents' survey came out on Easter week, just as the annual teachers’ conferences kicked off.

But, following the storm that erupted earlier in the year over attempted cuts to SNA posts, you can see why the department might want to avoid a repeat fiasco.

Positives in SNA plan

It's a pity, because on the face of these documents, published so late in the day, there’s a lot to be tentatively positive about.

In February, following a series of reviews by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), almost 200 mainstream primary schools were set to lose SNA posts in September.

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Others were due to gain posts, but it's also worth noting that more schools were likely to be facing cuts before the u-turn; The move was paused ahead of further letters being sent out.

It came at a time when the number of SNAs across the system is at its highest in years; From September, 25,000 SNAs will be employed across mainstream and special schools. But the need across the education system is also at its highest.

Under the proposals published on Wednesday, schools will not lose more than one 'surplus' post in a year.

Year to year, SNAs have had no real tenure of security, unlike teachers. If their post is determined to be ‘surplus’ then they essentially lose their job without being offered another. These plans will see them offered a post elsewhere.

Part of the reason why the outcry grew so loud earlier in the year was due to the numbers of posts removed from some of the affected schools, as well as what they saw as a lack of transparency behind the NCSE’s reviews.

Some were set to lose up to 4 or 5 posts.

They felt as though their needs had grown, but instead of extra support, they were losing staff.

One principal who spoke to the Irish Examiner before the U-turn on cuts described having to tell three of her staff, all young women, that their jobs were essentially gone for September.

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SNAs are assigned as a school-based resource, and not to individual students. It was argued that reductions were necessary to support those with the highest needs.

Removing posts to address needs elsewhere in the system is all well and good in theory but it also doesn’t remove the original need in the first place.

Earlier this year, Education Correspondent Jess Casey spoke with SNA Samantha Flanagan and principal Clodagh Farrell at Stapolin ETNS in Belmayne Ave, Dublin 13. See link below. Picture: Moya Nolan

A key point that emerged in the subsequent debates that followed the furore was how SNAs were largely still hired based on primary care needs, such as feeding or toileting.

A point eloquently argued by SNA Samantha O'Flanagan was that SNAs were still being allocated based on a narrow definition of care, but once in place they are supporting a much broader range of needs.

When reviews happen, posts are being cut because there may be fewer primary care needs on paper, yet the children in those classrooms still rely heavily on SNA support to access education.

So what’s new with these circulars?

There are no proposed changes to how SNAs are allocated to a school. However, their role is now recognised by the department as being “to provide adult support to meet the core care needs of students in the school community to enable their successful inclusion to attend, participate and reach their full potential in school with their peers.”

Natalie Murphy and her daughter Lily from Dublin joined special needs assistants in one of the protests at Leinster House in February. Picture: PA

It includes a list, not “exhaustive”, of such needs, and notes regulation and communication support, along with supervision duties.

It also lists supporting students’ access to, engagement and participation in learning along with a student’s class teacher, like “helping to remove barriers to students’ access to the curriculum".

A lot of this work is done daily already by SNAs and has been done for many years without official recognition.

The proposals and circulars also include new protections for SNA posts, and ensures that SNAs will have a recognised role in student planning and support.

Fórsa, the SNA's union, said the document falls short of its objectives "in some areas", but overall the measures set "the role of the SNA firmly on a clear path to a professional future".