When the 2014 circular from the Department of education is updated, I hope it will clearly recognise something that every teacher and every parent already knows: that every school in Ireland has students with additional needs and, therefore, every school should be entitled to at least one special needs assistant. I welcome the recent news from the Minister that there will be no reduction in the allocation of SNAs for the upcoming year, but needs in schools do not always present as dramatic or highly visible. Yes, some students require significant support with care, mobility or medical needs, but there are many more children whose needs may be described as mild or moderate: difficulties with organisation, emotional regulation, social interaction, anxiety or attention. On their own these needs may seem small, but when you add them all together across an entire school they are not small at all. I welcome the upcoming reforms to redefine the role of the SNA to include supporting non-physical needs, but in schools that are fortunate enough to have an SNA allocated for significant care needs, that SNA often becomes a quiet pillar of support for the wider school community. Once their core duties are met, they can help steady a child who is overwhelmed, support inclusion in the yard or assist a teacher during particularly challenging parts of the day. That flexibility benefits everyone. Schools that do not have an SNA allocation, however, are at a clear disadvantage. The needs still exist. They do not disappear because there is no allocation, but instead the burden falls entirely on already stretched teachers and school leaders. This impacts not only the children with additional needs but the whole classroom. If we are truly committed to inclusion, then inclusion must be universal. Every school should begin with a baseline allocation of one SNA, and from that starting point allocations can be reviewed and revised upwards where the level of need requires it but never, ever down to zero. The only direction support should move is up, in response to identified need.

Sentiment score: 0.28