HUNDREDS OF SPECIAL Needs Assistant (SNA) posts in mainstream primary schools could be cut from next September, sparking warnings that children who rely on support may struggle to remain in school.

Trade union Fórsa said it has been contacted by schools around the country after they received notifications from the National Council for Special Education that their SNA allocations will be reduced for the next school year.

The letters, sent last week, do not take effect immediately but advise schools that posts will be lost from September.

Fórsa believes more than 180 schools have been notified, with reductions affecting an estimated 300 or more SNA posts.

Schools in Cork, Kerry, Kildare and south Dublin have received letters so far, with more schools expected to be impacted by the cuts.

Fórsa head of education Andy Pike said the notifications are unsigned, pro forma, and do not set out the reasons for the reductions.

“Schools get a letter telling them they are losing posts, but they are not told why,” Pike said.

“That’s one of the reasons they are particularly unhappy. They feel the decision does not reflect what they are dealing with on the ground.”

The cuts relate to staffing in mainstream primary classes, rather than special classes, Pike said.

“Up to now, students with autism and other conditions were being encouraged to stay in mainstream with their peers, supported by SNAs. That appears to have changed overnight,” Pike said.

The Department of Education previously announced that overall SNA numbers are set to rise this year, but Pike said the increases are linked to the planned opening of hundreds of new special classes next year.

“All of those new classes have to be staffed,” he said.

“This looks like an attempt to move SNAs from mainstream settings into special classes. That was raised last autumn and denied at the time.”

Pike warned that the loss of support could have serious consequences for students currently relying on SNAs in mainstream schools.

“If a school goes from nine SNAs to three, those three cannot support the same number of students. That puts into question whether some students will be able to continue attending school or whether they will thrive or struggle.”

He added that SNAs whose posts are being cut may opt for redundancy, but a promised redeployment scheme is not yet in place.

“There is definitely a danger that people will leave the sector altogether because of the uncertainty,” he said.

Opposition TDs have called on Education Minister Hildegarde Naughton to explain the policy behind the reductions.

Social Democrats education spokesperson Jen Cummins said the proposed cuts are “wholly premature” and risk leaving families and schools “in limbo”.

She said reducing SNA support before the full rollout of new special classes and the publication of the SNA Workforce Development Plan “does not make sense” and amounts to “robbing Peter to pay Paul”.

“We have to stop moving supports around in ways that satisfy a spreadsheet and start grounding decisions in genuine educational needs and adequate planning,” Cummins said.

Labour education spokesperson Eoghan Kenny described the reductions as an “alarming cull” and said that Naughton must clarify how many posts are being cut, as well as what further reductions may follow.

“At the centre of every single one of these decisions is a child,” Kenny said.

“When those supports are taken away, it is children who pay the price.”

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) allocates SNA support based on reviews of care needs in each school, and allocations can change due to student numbers, care needs, or pupils moving between school levels.

If a school is unhappy with the outcome of a review, it can appeal through the NCSE.

Fórsa has called for the decisions to be reviewed and reversed, warning that withdrawing support from mainstream classes undermines the State’s commitment to inclusive education.

There are currently close to 25,000 SNAs employed across the country.

The Department of Education has been contacted for comment.