LATEST: Tipperary to host protest on Saturday over planned cuts to SNA posts

Plans to reduce Special Needs Assistant numbers in mainstream schools have prompted a fresh wave of protest, with a demonstration set for Clonmel this Saturday.

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Campaigners will assemble at the Main Guard on Main Street from noon until 4pm in opposition to the proposed cuts.

The local gathering comes after similar protests were staged yesterday at several venues nationwide, among them Leinster House.

Those actions were organised in response to a review of SNA allocations for the next academic year, a process overseen by the National Council for Special Education.

More than 200 schools have been told they are facing reductions in SNA provision within mainstream classes for the coming year. So far, 585 out of roughly 1,000 schools have completed the review.

Following the backlash, the Government has agreed to halt all school reviews until new regulations are put in place clarifying the definition of the SNA role.

The pause will remain until both a revised SNA redeployment plan and a workforce strategic plan are agreed. Ministers have stated that no SNA will be removed in the upcoming academic year.

Schools that were allocated additional staff as a result of the review will still receive those posts.

Around 25,000 SNAs are currently employed across the State. An estimated 1,700 additional positions are due to be created this year as part of a €3 billion budget for special education provision.

These protests follow on from protests that took place midweek this week on Wednesday February 25 outside the Dáil and in other parts of the country. 

Tipperary south TD Seamus Healy, on Wednesday attended a protest outside the Dáil alongside Special Needs Assistants and parents of children with additional needs.

In a Facebook post, Mr Healy said he was “supporting our Special Needs Assistants and parents of children with additional needs who are protesting outside the Dáil at the moment.”

The demonstration follows the Government’s decision to “pause” the review of Special Needs Assistant allocations.

Mr Healy said the move “does not resolve crises in schools and does not restore confidence of SNAs, parents or teachers.”

The decision to pause the review marks a significant climbdown in the face of organised opposition from schools and parents.

While the Government has pledged that no SNA posts will be lost next year and that additional allocations will proceed, the episode has underlined the sensitivity surrounding special education supports.

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