‘Horrendous’ SNA cuts deplored

VULNERABLE children with special needs will face an increased risk of being forced out of mainstream education facilities following the “horrendous” 13% cut in Special Needs Assistants this year, unions have claimed.

Unions estimate up to 70 Clare children with special needs could be adversely affected, as SNAs, on average, support two children and more in some cases and are only assigned to one child in exceptional circumstances.
Irish National Teachers’ Union (INTO) representative, Seán McMahon, has warned a dramatic cut in the number of SNAs in Clare from 279 to 243 whole time equivalents would lead to significantly reduced hours for children who need support to cope in mainstream education.
In Galway, the number of SNAs will fall by just six, from 588 to 582 over the same period.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE), which makes the allocation on behalf of the Department of Education, pointed out the figure may alter slightly after September 16, as some of the remaining SNA posts are allocated to schools.
Mr McMahon claimed children with special needs are effectively paying the price for the property crash. The Mullagh National School principal said parents of children with special needs should be given the same rights as other members of society, which will not happen once resources are withdrawn.
Acknowledging special schools provide an excellent service, he stressed a parent should have the right to determine an appropriate educational facility for their child, based on their individual needs and informed opinion of clinicians, such as psychologists, and not resources, which should be provided by the Government.
Describing the cutback as “horrendous” and a blow for inclusive education, he said it is extremely counter-productive in the long term to remove the reasonable level of SNA support from schools because of financial constraints imposed by the EU/IMF deal.
Deputy Michael McNamara said it is regrettable these children are paying the price for the mismanagement of the economy by the previous government. However, he added there are a lot more SNAs being assigned to children in Clare compared to 10 years ago, stating this increase is both welcome and necessary.
Deputy Joe Carey said the national cap of 10,575 posts was introduced by the last government and the current administration had decided to retain 475 posts to deal with appeals and emergency cases over the coming year.
An NCSE spokesman explained schools manage and deploy the allocation of SNA posts to meet the significant care needs of children and could decide to employ a combination of people on a part-time basis to meet this need. He said the body isn’t required to keep a record of the number of individuals who make up the SNA allocation for each school.
Following the introduction of a national staffing cap for SNAs, IMPACT official Philip Jordan said this is no longer a needs-based service. Noting it costs, on average, €30,000 to hire an SNA with four or five years’ experience, he claimed it cost the Government €20,000 to pay a former assistant on the dole, resulting in a net saving of €10,000 annually.
IMPACT official Joan McCrohan said 227 ABA tutors have been reclassified as SNAs, which effectively makes existing SNA posts redundant, while another 475 posts were retained nationally. She said SNAs are distraught at how children they support would survive in school without assistance, let alone succeed.
“Our role is as varied as the needs of the individual. We adapt in order to meet the needs and every day and every need is different. One of the most important tasks we undertake is to foster peer group acceptance. It is vitally important that a child succeeds socially. Early intervention in this regard is critical. If a child gets off to a bad start with their peers, it can be difficult to recover. An SNA can encourage children to interact appropriately and relay to the class teacher and resource teacher the child’s social interaction.
“The value of this aspect of our role should not be underestimated. Children with physical disabilities have varied needs and the parents of these children appreciate and depend on the support of the SNA who help them to stay on task. Unless you have a personal experience, it is unlikely that you could fully appreciate the significance of this service,” she said.
According to a Department of Education spokesperson, “It is considered that with equitable and careful management of these resources, there will be sufficient posts to provide access to SNA support for all children who require such care support to attend school, in accordance with departmental criteria.
“The existing levels of SNAs in special schools has been maintained in order to assist and protect the most vulnerable children. SNA provision in special schools will be reviewed in the first term of the school year.
“In order to distribute SNA posts fairly across the school system, it has been important for the NCSE to ensure that there is a consistent approach and that no schools have an over-allocation of SNA posts, which might prevent SNAs being allocated to children with care needs in other schools.
“As such, some schools may have received a reduction in SNA support in comparison to that allocated in previous years, where pupils with care needs have left a school or where children have diminishing care needs,” the spokesperson concluded.