The Minister for Education has announced a pause to the review of Special Needs Assistant allocations following concerns raised by parents and schools.

A spokesperson for the minister confirmed that all review changes, including those who’ve already received letters regarding any reductions, have been paused pending the outcome of engagement on the issue.

In a statement released this afternoon, Hildegarde Naughton said: “I have listened carefully to all of the issues raised by parents and school communities in recent days. I want to reiterate that there are no cuts to SNA numbers.

“I want to ensure that SNAs are with the children who most need their care. To that end, I am pausing the review of SNA allocations.

“I, the Tánaiste and the Taoiseach are engaging intensively to ensure that all of the concerns raised are really understood and children with special educational needs are fully supported.

“No further letters on SNA review outcomes will issue until these engagements have concluded in the coming weeks,” added the statement.

The announcement by the minister follows calls for clarity after a number of schools around the country had been told they may have had their SNA allocation cut from next September.

Speaking yesterday, Fórsa’s Head of Education Andy Pike said there was a lack of information as to why the review was happening.

“What we’re hearing is that a significant number of schools have received notification from the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), who control the allocation of SNA posts, that SNA jobs are being cut,” he said.

“There’s a lack of clarity and information around how many schools are affected, how many jobs are affected, and the reasons why this is happening.”

In her statement today, Ms Naughton said: “I, and Minister Michael Moynihan as Minister for Special Education and Inclusion, am committed to delivering for children with special educational needs.

“SNAs play a critical role in our schools – I know how much they mean to school communities, parents and the children they support,” she said.

Ms Naughton said €3bn has been provided for special education this year.

She said the number of SNAs in schools increased by 45% since 2020.

She added that “an additional 1,700 SNAs will support our children this year compared with during 2025”.

Pause gives ‘opportunity’ to discuss better SNA allocations, Fórsa says

Fórsa has welcomed the Government’s decision to pause its review of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) allocations. The union represents more than 18,000 staff in schools and early education, as well as clerical, administrative, management staff in institutes of technology and education and training boards.

It said the move provides an important opportunity for the Minister to engage meaningfully with schools and stakeholders on a better approach to planning and managing SNA supports.

Fórsa’s Head of Education Andy Pike said: “This pause gives us an important opportunity to discuss a better way of planning and managing SNA allocations for the future.

“It is a significant step forward in recognising that the work of SNAs goes far beyond what is reflected in the current, outdated SNA circulars.”

Mr Pike said the role of SNAs is not just about meeting primary physical care needs, that it is “vital to supporting students’ learning and wellbeing”.

“The Minister’s decision will be very welcome and will help ease anxieties around the possibility of SNA supports being removed from children in mainstream classes, who rely on that support to fully participate in their education,” he said.

Mr Pike said the decision also demonstrates how unions and education stakeholders can work collaboratively in the best interests of both students and staff.

“Part of the discussion that now needs to take place is an assessment of whether or not special education is adequately funded, because if 25,000 SNAs is not sufficient to meet the need that has been identified, then the Government needs to look at its investment strategy for delivering its goals for special education,” he added.

Autism charity CEO says SNA allocations not keeping pace with population

CEO of autism charity AsIAM Adam Harris has said the allocation of SNAs in school for children with autism is “simply not keeping the pace” with population increases.

His comments came before the Minister Naughton’s announced a pause to the review of Special Needs Assistant allocations.

Speaking on RTÉ’s News At One before the announcement, Mr Harris said behind each of those numbers of allocations is “a child seeking to access their constitutional right to an education”.

“Now we see families finding out on the grapevine, that their child’s access to an SNA may be affected,” he said.

“I think it is important to recognise in particular that the SNA allocation while it may have increased on paper in recent years, that is in the context of significant increases in the population of Ireland and also notable demographic changes,” he said.

Mr Harris said that mental health supports, therapeutic supports and changes to the environment need to be looked at.

“They have not happened. And we should not see such significant changes to allocation without that broader reform, because really what we are seeing is not a model based on individual need but a model based on resource allocation,” he said.

“We need to put the child’s needs at the centre and to ensure that any child that needs access to an SNA is able to access that support from September 2026.”