The school referred to by the Deputy is one of 13 new schools for ASD and Complex Needs that are currently being supported by my Department under a transitional agreement.
This includes regular engagement between the schools Patron Bodies and my officials through a Consultative Group forum. Officials in my Department are in contact with the school referred to by the Deputy and I understand the school has recently appointed 2 additional SNAs. A decision in respect of the appropriate levels of SNA supports in each of the 13 schools for the forthcoming school year will be taken following a review by the NCSE of existing staffing and of students needs in the schools.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) allocates SNA support to schools, in accordance with the criteria set out in my Department's Circular 0030/2014, in order that students who have special educational needs and additional care needs can access SNA support as and when it is needed.
The purpose of the SNA scheme is to provide schools with additional adult support staff who can assist children with special educational needs who also have additional and significant care needs.
The Special Needs Assistant (SNA) scheme is designed to provide schools with additional adult support staff who can assist children with special educational needs who also have additional and significant care needs. Such support is provided in order to facilitate the attendance of those pupils at school and also to minimise disruption to class or teaching time for the pupils concerned, or for their peers, and with a view to developing their independent living skills. SNA support is allocated to schools to support pupils based on their assessed care needs, as opposed to being allocated on the basis of a particular disability diagnosis.
SNA allocations are accordingly not made to individual children, but are made to schools to support the care needs of children with assessed special educational needs in the school.
The consideration of professional reports is an integral part of determining the extent of supports to be provided for pupils with special educational needs. In making allocations to schools, the NCSE takes into account the assessed individual needs of all children with identified needs in the school.