The Department of Education has published the Allocations Circular 0018/2023 for the 2023/4 school year. You can read the Circular here.

The details of the SNA Allocations for the next school year 2023/4 will be as follows :

• There will be approximately 1,194 new SNA posts covering primary and post-primary, as follows:

• 735 new posts to support students in new special classes
• 124 new posts to support students in new special school places
• 335 new posts to support students in mainstream classes

• Posts will be established for the start of the next school year with a proportion held back to facilitate requests from schools for more SNA resources.

• Schools can apply for additional resources through the exceptional review process which was 60% successful in 2023.

• The same procedure will be used as last year in that when requesting an exceptional review schools will be told that the allocation of SNA posts could stay the same, could increase or could decrease, last year no School had their SNA allocation reduced as a consequence of utilising the exceptional review procedure.

• The NCSE will conduct a rolling review of SNA allocations, this was announced last year but did not take place, the Department expects this process to happen during the next School year. Fórsa will shortly be meeting the NCSE to discuss this and other issues.

• Schools will be sent a letter by the NCSE with details of their 2023/4 SNA allocation, these letters will be sent to schools before the allocations are published on the NCSE website. We understand that these letters are being sent to schools early next week and will contain confirmation of the SNA allocation for the school. When schools and staff have been informed the allocation figures will then be published on the NCSE website.

The number of SNA posts affected by loss of hours or the threat of redundancy will be very small, last year out of 20,000 SNA posts some 28 positions were affected, as the allocations for the next school year have been calculated on the basis of adding posts to existing numbers the outcome is expected to be very similar with minimal disruption.

The change from last year is that schools and staff will be informed directly by letter rather than having to wait for figures to be published on the NCSE website.

A further update will issue once the detail of the allocation figures for the whole sector are published.