Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 July 2023
515. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education the cost of employing an additional 100 SNAs; the projected number of additional SNAs to be employed in 2024/2025 due to demographic pressures; the current number of SNAs at the end of 2022/23 school year; the current number of funded posts from September for the 2023/24 school year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37023/23]
View answerI would like to thank the Deputy for the question and would like to advise the following:
Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this government. It is also a key priority for me as Minister for Special Education & Inclusion, for my department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE).
The vast majority of children with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers. Where children with more complex needs require additional supports, special classes and special school places are provided.
For 2023, the spend by my department on special education has been substantially increased by over 10% on last year, meaning that for 2023 my department will spend over €2.6 billion on special education.
This level of educational funding and support is unprecedented and represents in excess of 27% of the department’s total allocation for 2023.
This includes funding to support children with special educational needs in mainstream classes; funding for new special classes and new special school places; additional special educational teachers, special needs assistants (SNAs) and funding for the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS).
In 2023, the number of teaching and SNA posts in our schools will increase with an additional 686 teachers and a further 1,194 SNAs in our schools.
For the first time ever there will be over 19,000 teachers working in the area of special education and over 20,000 SNAs. Together we have almost 40,000 qualified and committed people in our schools who are focused wholly and exclusively on supporting children with special educational needs.
SNAs play a central role in the successful inclusion of students with additional and significant care needs into mainstream education, special classes and special schools ensuring that these students can access education to enable them to achieve their best outcomes and reach their full potential.
The NCSE has responsibility for planning and coordinating school supports for children with special educational needs including the allocation of SNAs. My department does not have a role in making individual school determinations.
The NCSE have confirmed that as of 17 July 2023, 20,358 SNA posts have been allocated to special classes, mainstream and special schools.
When a school has been allocated an SNA, the Board of Management as the employer, is responsible for filling the vacancy. The decision on whether to employ a full-time SNA to fill a full-time post, or to employ an equivalent number of part-time SNAs rests with the employer.
The NCSE publish statistics on SNA allocations for each school year, by county, in tabular form on their website. These details can be found at: www.ncse.ie/set-hours-and-sna-allocations
The approximate annual cost at entry of an additional full-time SNA including provision for employer PRSI and substitution costs is €39,990. Therefore the estimated cost of 100 additional SNAs is almost €4 million per annum.
Work is ongoing in relation to finalising the budgetary projections for the 2024/25 school year.
