The National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of locally based Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) allocates Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools for children with special educational needs (SEN) arising from a disability. SNA support is provided to a school to provide for the significant additional care needs of children with an identified SEN who require such support to attend school.
SNAs are a school based resource, they are not allocated to individual children, and while the assessed care needs of each individual child underpins the allocation of SNA support to the school, the management and deployment of SNAs is a matter for the school and should be organised by the school in a manner which appropriately meets the significant care needs of the children concerned.
SNA allocations to all schools can change from year to year as children with care needs leave the school, as new children with care needs enrol in a school and as children develop more independent living skills and their care needs diminish over time.
The SNA allocations for Primary, Post Primary and Special Schools in Co. Carlow and Co. Kilkenny are set out in the table, which shows the position at the end of the 2015/16 school year and the adjustment for the start of the 2016/17 school year.
|
-
|
Primary Schools
|
-
|
-
|
Post Primary Schools
|
-
|
-
|
|
County
|
Year end 2015/16
|
Start of year
2016/17
|
Adjustment
|
Year end
2015/16
|
Start of year 2016/2017
|
Adjustment
|
|
Carlow
|
88.24
|
86.83
|
-1.41
|
30.50
|
31.50
|
1.00
|
|
Kilkenny
|
106.52
|
107.60
|
1.08
|
38.75
|
35.75
|
-3.00
|
|
--
|
Special Schools
|
-
|
-
|
|
County
|
Year end 2015/16
|
Start of year
2016/17
|
Adjustment
|
|
Carlow
|
45.00
|
49.00
|
4.00
|
|
Kilkenny
|
88.00
|
86.00
|
-2.00
|
When an employer has an SNA vacancy to fill, they must undertake the recruitment process in accordance with the provisions outlined in Circular 0035/2016 “Recruitment of Special Needs assistants (SNAs) – Supplementary Assignment Arrangements for the 2016/17 school year”. Sections 1 through to 8 of this circular also set out the process which must be followed by an employer when an SNA is notified that he/she is to be made redundant. It is a matter for the employer to formally notify the employee of the redundancy in line with the process as set out in Circular 0035/2016.
The supplementary assignment arrangements for Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) were established on foot of proposals brought forward by the Labour Relations Commission when the Haddington Road Agreement was being agreed. These supplementary assignment arrangements for SNAs continue to operate under the Lansdowne Road Agreement, and both unions representing SNAs, namely SIPTU and IMPACT, have signed up to that agreement. As set out in the LRC proposals, the supplementary assignment arrangements for SNAs only apply to current SNAs who are notified that they are to be made redundant. Accordingly, the purpose of these arrangements is to facilitate eligible SNAs who are being made redundant by one employer in filling SNA vacancies that may become available in another school/ETB.
Circular 35/2016 details the supplementary assignment arrangements for SNAs for the 16/17 school year and also outlines that where a school/ETB has an additional allocation of SNA hours/posts, then that additional allocation of hours/posts must be offered to any existing part-time SNAs in that employment, in order of seniority, before the employer has recourse to recruitment. This circular builds on the introduction of a supplementary assignment panel process for SNAs which was introduced three years ago, giving SNAs the alternative of redeployment instead of redundancy, giving SNAs greater stability and a better chance of a full-hours contract.
The purpose of these arrangements is to facilitate eligible SNAs who are being made redundant by one employer in filling SNA vacancies that may become available in another school/ETB. Furthermore, it means that, before an employer opts to recruit a further person as an SNA(s), they must ensure that all existing part-time SNAs 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. This does not prevent any person from applying for SNA vacancies but employers are obliged to give precedence to applicants who are members of the SNA Supplementary Assignment Panel.
An annual review of the operation of the supplementary assignment arrangements is conducted in conjunction with an independent Supplementary Assignment Manager, the Department, school Managerial Authorities and the Unions with a view to making any amendments deemed necessary to improve upon the operation of these arrangements.
The terms and conditions of employment of SNAs is as outlined in their contracts of employment which were agreed with the school management authorities and the relevant Trade Unions representing SNAs (IMPACT and SIPTU) prior to their introduction in 2005. The agreement reached between the parties found expression in the two circular letters issued in 2005 detailing the contracts of employment for SNAs.
Links to the SNA Contracts of Employment are as follows:
Department of Education and Skills Circular SNA 12/05 (Post-Primary) http://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Active-Circulars/sna12_05.pdf.
Department of Education and Skills Circular SNA 15/05 (Primary) http://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Popular-forms/S-15-05-Contract-Form.pdf.
This contract of employment is augmented by all of the relevant Departmental Circulars governing Special Needs Assistants which detail the standardised terms and conditions of employment for SNAs. These Circulars are amended and new Circulars are issued by the Minister for Education and Skills from time to time.
