CLARITY WAS SOUGHT from the Taoiseach today in relation to what the next steps are after a review into Special Needs Assistants was quickly paused yesterday. 

Minister for Education and Youth Hildegarde Naughton announced the move yesterday following concerns raised by parents and schools.

The issue has caused consternation among TDs, who were inundated with calls and emails from concerned constituents. 

During Leaders’ Questions today, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald questioned if the government’s u-turn yesterday was simply “buying time”. 

She asked if schools that were told they will have a reduction in SNAs will have the decision reversed. 

“The actions of your government have caused real concern, anxiety, anger and have the potential for chaos in school communities,” McDonald said.

In response, Micheál Martin said ministers will engage with the schools concerned and with the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) in relation to the review.

‘A pause is not a plan’

Labour’s Ivana Bacik told the Taoiseach that “a pause is not a plan”, and asked Martin to outline the next steps.

She said schools needed clarity, as well as the SNAs themselves, who need to know where they will be working in September. 

Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns said children, SNAs, parents and principals are all in “limbo”.

“All they know is there will be a review into the original review. Nobody knows how long this second review will take or what the criteria for it will be,” she said.

Responding, the Taoiseach said his fundamental objective in politics is to realise the potential of every child in this country.

“We need more therapists and multidisciplinary teams in our special schools and, ultimately, in our mainstream schools,” he said, stating that removing them from schools was a mistake. 

“The question I am asking and, indeed, that Deputies have been asking him for the past 24 hours is this: what happens now? How long will this review take? Will the Taoiseach change the approach? Does he recognise we need more SNAs?

“Will the focus be on that, rather than on looking at a spreadsheet and deciding who he can move where when he knows how disruptive that is to a classroom? How long are children, families and schools going to be left in limbo?” asked Cairns.

The Taoiseach told the Dail that the pause will create a time-lag, but that the next step is that schools will be engaged with.

He said there is also an appeals mechanism open for schools. However, since the pause was put in place, no further action needs to be taken until the NCSE engages with the minister on that matter. 

Yesterday, the Taoiseach said schools “should not hit the school with a shock decision that it is making the call to take out three or four”.

“It should be done much more gradually,” he said.