Special Needs Assistants: Motion [Private Members]
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-24
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Hildegarde Naughton (FG), Galway West

There is no mindset in the NCSE to cut resources. The NCSE appreciates the complexities of school life and deploys leniency in its outcomes, working to retain supports available to children in schools. Among the information the NCSE requires to conduct a review are student support files for each young person. These files, which are compiled by the teacher, document an individual child's needs and their progress over time. They help inform the school in providing an appropriate level of support. Parents know what is best for their child. That is why, in addition to the student support plan, the NCSE asks that parents complete a questionnaire outlining the care needs of their child. Parents who may have difficulty in completing this questionnaire are provided with contact details for the SENO tasked with completing the school review, so their child's needs can be documented.
The review process also includes consultation with staff in the school, including class teachers, special education teachers, SNAs and principals. As I previously said, the NCSE works to retain supports for children, but circumstances arise which mean that an SNA may no longer be required. These include cases where a student or students with highly significant care needs leave the school or where children in receipt of support move to post-primary level or leave school.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-24/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:40+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-24