Good morning colleagues,

There will be no reduction in the number of SNAs for the next school year. Following a meeting with government leaders last night, it was also agreed that all schools recently reviewed by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and allocated additional resources will still receive them in September. 

The Irish Times reports that an extra €19 million will be spent on SNAs this year to ensure there are no cuts to existing service provision in schools, and quotes Andy Pike from his Morning Ireland interview this morning. Describing the Government U-turn as “a sticking plaster” for the next 12 months, he said any change in the criteria which determines the need for SNAs in schools needed to be negotiated and agreed, and Andy continues to feature in RTÉ's news bulletins this morning.