Minister for Education and Youth Hildegarde Naughton has announced a pause to the review of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) allocations following concerns raised by parents and schools.
A spokesperson for the minister confirmed that all review changes, including those who have already received letters regarding any reductions, have been paused pending the outcome of engagement on the issue.
In a statement, Ms Naughton said: "I have listened carefully to all of the issues raised by parents and school communities in recent days. I want to reiterate that there are no cuts to SNA numbers.
"I want to ensure that SNAs are with the children who most need their care. To that end, I am pausing the review of SNA allocations.
"I, the Tánaiste and the Taoiseach are engaging intensively to ensure that all of the concerns raised are really understood and children with special educational needs are fully supported.
"No further letters on SNA review outcomes will issue until these engagements have concluded in the coming weeks."
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The announcement by the minister follows calls for clarity after a number of schools around the country had been told they may have had their SNA allocation cut from next September.
Fórsa's Head of Education Andy Pike said yesterday that there was a lack of information as to why the review was happening.
"What we're hearing is that a significant number of schools have received notification from the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), who control the allocation of SNA posts, that SNA jobs are being cut.
"There's a lack of clarity and information around how many schools are affected, how many jobs are affected, and the reasons why this is happening," he added.
Ms Naughton said that she and Minister of State for Special Education and Inclusion Michael Moynihan are "committed to delivering for children with special educational needs.
"SNAs play a critical role in our schools - I know how much they mean to school communities, parents and the children they support," she said.
Ms Naughton added that €3 billion has been provided for special education this year and that the number of SNAs in schools increased by 45% since 2020.
She also said that "an additional 1,700 SNAs will support our children this year compared with during 2025".
Pause gives 'opportunity' to discuss better SNA allocations, Fórsa says
Fórsa has welcomed the Government's decision to pause its review of SNA allocations. The union represents more than 18,000 staff in schools and early education, as well as clerical, administrative, management staff in institutes of technology and education and training boards.
It said the move provides an important opportunity for the minister to engage meaningfully with schools and stakeholders on a better approach to planning and managing SNA supports.
Mr Pike said: "This pause gives us an important opportunity to discuss a better way of planning and managing SNA allocations for the future.
"It is a significant step forward in recognising that the work of SNAs goes far beyond what is reflected in the current, outdated SNA circulars."
Mr Pike added that the role of SNAs is not just about meeting primary physical care needs, that it is "vital to supporting students’ learning and wellbeing".
Autism charity CEO says SNA allocations not keeping pace with population
CEO of autism charity AsIAM Adam Harris has said the allocation of SNAs in school for children with autism is "simply not keeping the pace" with population increases.
His comments came before Ms Naughton announced a pause to the review of SNA allocations.
Speaking on RTÉ's News At One before the announcement, Mr Harris said behind each of those numbers of allocations is "a child seeking to access their constitutional right to an education".
"Now we see families finding out on the grapevine, that their child's access to an SNA may be affected," he said.
"I think it is important to recognise in particular that the SNA allocation while it may have increased on paper in recent years, that is in the context of significant increases in the population of Ireland and also notable demographic changes," he said.
Mr Harris said that mental health supports, therapeutic supports and changes to the environment need to be looked at.
"They have not happened. And we should not see such significant changes to allocation without that broader reform, because really what we are seeing is not a model based on individual need but a model based on resource allocation," he said.
"We need to put the child's needs at the centre and to ensure that any child that needs access to an SNA is able to access that support from September 2026."
