One-in-five primary schools will see a reduction in the amount of special education teaching hours next year, according to primary teachers union the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO).
Schools received notice today of their staffing allocation for next September.
The union said that while the overall total of special education teaching posts will increase marginally, one in five individual primary schools have seen a reduction.
INTO General Secretary John Boyle said: "Government found €19 million extra to stop special needs assistants being redeployed this summer.
"While this was a welcome investment, without comparable and essential funding for SETs, it means children with additional needs will still ultimately be short-changed."
A circular published today by the Department of Education and Youth sets out staffing arrangements for schools.
The department uses three criteria to allocate SET teachers; school enrolment, performance in standardised tests, and DEIS status.
Enrolment is currently in decline across the primary school sector, with more than half of all primary schools experiencing falling pupil numbers.
Criticising the Government for not using declining enrolment as an opportunity to better the pupil teacher ratio and reduce class size, Mr Boyle said: "A huge number of mainstream class teaching posts will be suppressed, administrative principals and deputy principals will be lost, single classes will become multi-classes and some small schools will close."
According to INTO estimates, 21% of primary schools will see a reduction in their SET hours. For most of these schools (83%) the decrease will be five hours or less weekly.
For many schools with marginal drops in their enrolment, the SET allocation model has been adjusted to maintain provision.
That means that schools that were in danger of losing a full SET teacher will maintain it.
