Schools will lose no more than one SNA a year from 2027 – minister
By Bairbre Holmes, Press Association
No school will lose more than one special needs assistant (SNA) a year from September 2027, the Minister for Education has said.
Hildegarde Naughton committed as she laid out a plan to develop and professionalise the role of SNAs after it was approved by Cabinet on Wednesday.
In February, a proposed review and reallocation, which would have seen some schools lose SNAs in the coming school year, led to protests and was scrapped by the Government.
Launching the first Special Needs Assistant Workforce Development Plan at Government Buildings, Ms Naughton said that from September 2027, schools would not have their SNA allocation cut by more than one post a year.
It’s the first time we will have a SNA workforce development plan that will include better training for SNAs that will give them clarity around their own roleHildegarde Naughton
She also confirmed no school will see a reduction in its SNA allocation for the 2026/2027 school year.
Along with the development plan, two circulars were published on Wednesday, one on the role of special needs assistants and another on the SNA redeployment scheme.
Speaking to reporters, Ms Naughton said she accepted these “should have been published first”, before the controversial review and reallocation, adding “choreography was the issue back earlier in the year”.
She said the development plan had been designed over two years with the input of “SNAs, with education stakeholders, advocacy groups, parents, the voice of young people themselves”.
It aims to provide “greater clarity” on the role and introduce a redeployment scheme to “help retain experienced SNAs within our school system”.
The introduction of a minimum educational standard for entry to the profession is also outlined in the plan, which Ms Naughton said is “in line with requests from SNAs themselves”.
There is to be “enhanced training and professional development opportunities” as well as “stronger support for collaboration between SNAs and teachers in meeting the needs of their students”.
Ms Naughton said it is a “historic day” for the country’s 26,000 SNAs.
“It’s the first time we will have a SNA workforce development plan that will include better training for SNAs that will give them clarity around their own role,” she said.
“It does go beyond primary care needs to core needs, ensuring that students are supported in relation to fostering their independence”.
She said SNAs will be helping students “move through a school setting, through transitions” including between classes and from primary to secondary school, and with “their regulation of social, emotional and behavioural needs”.