School SNA posts to go despite review delay

HUNDREDS of children will lose the support of special needs assistants (SNAs) on February 1 even though two-thirds of schools have yet to have their allocation of these staff assessed under a delayed review. All SNA posts deemed unnecessary were to have been axed from the start of next month, but that date was set by the Department of Education last June when it expected the review to be completed by the end of last year.

The Irish Examiner has learned that the assessment of SNA posts by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) was only completed at less than one-third of the country's 4,000 schools – 1,013 primary and 308 second level – by the start of December and a council spokesperson said the review is not now expected to be finished until late March.

The figures show that less than 50% of the number of schools reviewed in the last term of the 2008/2009 school year were assessed during most of the term up to Christmas.

The Irish Examiner revealed in July that reviews of the first 898 schools between Easter and June last year resulted in recommendations of 268 fewer SNA posts, suggesting up to 1,200 of around 10,500 SNA jobs could be lost if the same level of outcomes resulted from the entire review.

The exemption for any job cuts up to February 1 was designed to ensure any SNA job losses arising from the review happened in all schools at the same time.

But the IMPACT union, which represents about 5,000 SNAs, said the NCSE estimate of having the review completed in March was highly dubious if it took almost two terms to get through one-third of schools.

"This information strengthens our call on Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe to extend the timeframe for posts being lost until all schools are reviewed and the department's own assessment of the SNA system is finished," said IMPACT assistant general secretary Philip Mullen.

"These posts can be made redundant by schools if a child no longer has a care need but the goalposts are being moved under the NCSE review. The biggest impact will be on children who will have classroom support withdrawn in the middle of the term, while others may keep their SNAs," Mr Mullen said.

The department is conducting a separate value-for-money review of the SNA system, which costs about €300 million a year.

A Department of Education letter to schools last June insisted that schools reviewed by the NCSE up to February 1 must reduce SNA numbers accordingly if so recommended. Mr O'Keeffe's spokesperson said these rules are not being changed, despite IMPACT's call to do so.

"The review is taking place to ensure the criteria for appointing SNAs are being met and, where they are deemed no longer needed, the posts will no longer be sanctioned," he said.