National SNA review could see cuts at vital school

THE National Council for Special Education review of special needs assistant supports (SNA) at a school for students with special learning needs forms part of a national review of SNA allocations. Under the review, it is estimated up to 1,200 of the country's 10,500 special needs assistants (SNA) posts could be axed.

Referring to the review of St Anthony's Special School in Castlebar, a spokesperson for the NCSE said last night that no decision has been finalised but that likely outcomes have been discussed with school management.

The spokesperson also said the review at St Anthony's has demonstrated a significant proportion of pupils have a disability other than a mild general learning disability (MGLD), which the school is designated to cater for, and greater care needs than would be expected for a child with MGLD.

"In reaching a decision, the NCSE will have regard to the needs of individual children and ensure the school is resourced to meet the needs of children in line with existing policy," he said. While Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe, who ordered the national review last March, insists no child who needs SNA support will be left without such assistance, it has been claimed that the NCSE is applying the criteria far more strictly than it previously did in order to achieve savings.

Last summer, An Bord Snip Nua recommended that 2,000 SNA posts should be withdrawn from primary and second-level schools.

IMPACT, which represents more than 5,000 SNAs, called on Green Party education spokesperson – and chair of the Oireachtas education committee – Paul Gogarty – to discuss the situation with union officials. "The Greens claim education is a priority for them, yet we see no evidence of this. They were government partners when the decision was made to suspend implementation of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act which has paved the way very directly for these cuts to take place," said IMPACT assistant general secretary Philip Mullen.

He said the information on which the estimate of 1,200 SNA job losses is based came from information released by the NCSE, despite Mr O'Keeffe's rejection of the figures. Ahead of IMPACT's SNA branch annual meeting in Dublin today, Mr Mullen repeated a call on the minister to extend arrangements to allow any schools due to lose SNAs to at lease retain the posts until the end of the school year. The jobs were allowed to be retained until January 31 at schools already reviewed by the NCSE since last Easter.