My mother was a special needs assistant. I remember her coming home every day and telling me how much she loved her job and the value she got from what she did with the students she was working with. I know first-hand exactly the love that SNAs have for their jobs. I know first-hand exactly what value they bring to the classrooms. I know first-hand how transformative they are in the lives of the students they work with. I also know, having visited many of the schools in my constituency of Dublin Mid-West, most recently Scoil Talbot in Clondalkin, that schools are evolving places. The vision set out in the circular from 2014 is not one that is visible on the ground in the schools that my colleagues and I visit on a regular basis. We need to reflect the fact there is now a diversity of needs in our classrooms that was not necessarily reflected in the circular of 2014. Access to an SNA is an enabler for many children in these situations, especially those with neurodivergent needs. This week, in Clondalkin, a mother who came to one of my clinics said that the reason she was able to go back to work was that her son had access to an SNA to allow him to take two movement breaks to regulate him during the day. He did not need access to a full-time SNA, but because of that fact, she was able to go back to work. She was able to ensure that he has access to a world-class education and will be able to fully attain his potential. That is why it is important we get the circular right on this occasion, that we get the redeployment model right on this occasion and that we update the vision of education set out in these circulars, so schools in my constituency and around the country are set up to succeed. It is also important we ensure, given the demographic pressures we are facing, that our secondary schools are set up with an adequate number of SNAs. We need to ensure that the new special schools we are establishing, including Lucan Community Special School in my constituency, have access to a number of SNAs to ensure a full school day, but also that schools have sufficient provision for incoming classes of junior infants, where they may not necessarily know the level of need. I look forward to reform in this area.

Sentiment score: 0.30