Circular 0030/2014 states that an SNA facilitates attendance, minimises disruption to class and attends to primary care needs like feeding, toileting, medicine and mobility. On page 8, it says the role of an SNA is not to provide additional tuition. Show me an SNA in any special, autism or mainstream class around the country who is not providing additional tuition, especially if you go into a special class. You will see them providing one-to-one tuition. This circular is outdated and that is the crux of this problem. It was outdated 12 years ago when it was implemented and in the 20 years I have been supporting SNAs in the classroom, it has been outdated. For all of those years, they have been providing learning, behaviour, communication, social and emotional support. We have to acknowledge there has been improvement in those two decades. An SNA is no longer assigned to a specific student; they are now assigned to a full school. There has been a huge increase in support to now being 22,000 SNAs and in September, that will be 25,000. However, this past fortnight has been so confusing. It has caused uncertainty and trauma. The reviews should have waited for the SNA workforce development plan, the redeployment plan and the review but let us be positive. Let us use this as an opportunity to get this right, so that an SNA can look at their job description and feel that it reflects the work they are doing. They are the bridge between a child and their education and we have to use this increased funding at this time when the whole country has a sharp focus on this, to get the next circular right and ensure that an SNA's job description reflects the amazing work they are doing on the ground.

Sentiment score: 0.23