Fórsa has said the decision to pause the review of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) allocations is a welcome step and urged the Government to move quickly to implement a redeployment scheme promised by the Minister for Education in 2025. 

Responding to the recent apology from the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) following controversy over its review of SNA allocations, Fórsa’s head of education Andy Pike said the pause should create space for meaningful engagement with education stakeholders. 

Speaking in a radio interview, Andy said the decision would help address the anxieties caused by the prospect that SNA supports could be removed from children in mainstream classrooms who rely on that assistance to complete their programme of study.   

He said the move also acknowledged the increasingly complex and wide-ranging role carried out by SNAs in schools: “The work SNAs do extends far beyond the outdated descriptions contained in current circulars,” he said, adding that the pause presents an opportunity to develop a better system for planning and managing SNA allocations into the future.  

He emphasised that an immediate priority must be the introduction of a national redeployment scheme for SNAs, which the Minister for Education committed to developing in 2025 following discussions with unions and education stakeholders. 

He said progress on a redeployment scheme would help ensure experienced SNAs can be retained within the education system where needs change between schools, while also providing greater job security for staff: “A redeployment scheme would be an essential part of a fair and sustainable system. It would protect staff and ensure that support follows the students who need it.” 

Andy also said that a broader discussion about whether special education is adequately resourced must take place, saying: “If the current workforce of more than 25,000 SNAs is not sufficient to meet identified need, then government must look again at its investment strategy for delivering its commitments on special education.” 

Listen back: Andy Pike responds to the NCSE’s apology for SNA review (RTÉ Drivetime) [LINKS TO: https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/22590246/] 

Join a union that wins. Join Fórsa.