Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 February 2024
309. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Question No. 268 of 13 February 2024, if she will consider making SNAs in current positions permanent before any new cohort of SNAs qualify this year, to prevent the redundancy of existing senior SNAs and their replacement by newly qualified SNAs. [7945/24]
View answerAs indicated in the response to Parliamentary Question No. 268 of 13 February 2024, before an employer opts to recruit further persons as SNAs, they must ensure that all existing part-time SNAs in standard posts in their employment, in order of seniority, have been offered a full-time position in the school or, in the case of ETBs, a full-time position in a school within the ETB scheme. After that process has concluded, schools must abide by the SNA Supplementary Assignment to facilitate eligible SNAs who are being made redundant by one employer in filling SNA vacancies that may become available in another school / ETB. It is only following the conclusion of these processes that the recruitment of new SNA’s should commence.
As the Deputy will be aware, the number of SNA posts allocated to a school in any individual school year is a matter for the Special Educational Needs Officer (SENO) and that function resides within the National Council for Special Education (NCSE). The number of standard SNA posts varies according to the requirements of each individual school population: these requirements will change from year to year, as the student population changes and as the needs of students within that cohort may change according to factors such as treatment interventions and supports external to the school environment. Therefore, it is not possible to guarantee that a standard post will be available to each SNA currently employed.
There were 142 standard SNA vacancy documents submitted to the Department by schools in the 2022/2023 school year. These Process Verification Documents (‘PVDs) include the increased allocation of hours to convert previous part-time posts to standard posts, as well as new standard posts granted by the NCSE.
Of the vacancies advised to the Department, 33 PVDs related to instances where schools reported giving additional hours to existing part-time SNAs to provide them with an increase to their existing contracted hours; 2 vacancies were filled through Supplementary Panel arrangements and 99 of the vacancies advised received no applications from current SNA’s whose posts were not guaranteed for the following school year. This suggests that the majority of posts were filled through the awarding of additional hours to existing staff, with new recruits backfilling the remaining quantum of hours available. This is substantiated by the number of SNA’s who notified the Department that they had taken up a new post or requested their redundancy payment be triggered via an opt-out clause in the Supplementary Assignment Panel Circular Letter, which in 2022/2023 amounted to 78% of SNA’s whose posts were redundant at the end of the 2021/2022 school year.
Finally, I note that the Deputy makes reference to SNA qualification in his question. At present there is no mandatory specialist qualification for SNA’s, although I acknowledge and applaud the many individuals who have completed appropriate courses, whether the Department funded training programme with UCD or other Further Education courses, to enhance the knowledge, expertise and skills they bring to these essential roles. As mentioned in my response to the Deputy’s previous question, my Department is currently working on the first Special Needs Assistant Workforce Development Plan (the plan), which will introduce policy developments which will bring clarity and direction to the SNA service. Minimum qualifications and continuous professional development will be considered in the work undertaken on Pillar 3 Learning & Development of the plan.
The plan will be developed in consultation and collaboration with stakeholders including school leaders and the SNAs, giving all parties an opportunity to provide input and share views on the future development and direction of the SNA service.
