Text of Socialist Party leaflet
Over 200 schools across the country received notice that they faced reductions in their Special Needs Assistants (SNA) staff. Some were to lose half their SNAs! Euphemisms abounded as the government tried to justify this very unpopular move, referring to the cull as a “rebalancing of support” to special schools and boasting of the “considerable expansion” of SNAs since 2020. This ignores the expanding need as the population rises and also as neurodiversity becomes more understood.
The government was forced to pause this decision due to immediate protest and backlash from SNAs, teachers and parents. It has now pledged €19 million to apparently ensure no SNAs are lost for mainstream schools for the next 12 months.
While this U-turn demonstrates the power of parents and organised workers banding together to fight for what is needed, it also represents a kicking of the can down the road and in no way fundamentally deals with the massive investment needed in education in order for all children to be able to get the most out of their schooling.
The current SNA 2014 circular stipulates that SNAs are only required for primary care needs or physical disability, something which unions, teachers and parents are looking to change and expand.
SNAs provide crucial educational support to neurodiverse and autistic children, as well as those with anxiety or mental health issues. Removing or reducing the support available to these students also impacts on teachers, who are increasingly working in overcrowded classrooms, and the smooth running of the class.
This raises the question as to whether the government wants children with disabilities to be able to participate in mainstream classrooms. Parents, students, teachers and disability rights advocates have long campaigned for the integration of many neurodiverse students – many of whom can thrive educationally with these additional supports, and for whom the interaction with peers is crucial for social-emotional development.
All of this comes on the back of many profound betrayals for disabled children, parents, SNAs, and teachers. Families have had to campaign tirelessly in recent years for their children to have access to any suitable school place and educational supports, in effect denying children their right to an education. Why are cutting costs and protecting profits more important than providing children with their right to an education?
Ruth Coppinger TD and Solidarity call for :
- Change the SNA 2014 circular : All children who could benefit should be entitled to SNA support in mainstream classrooms!
- For a massive increase in SNAs in 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 school years!
- Job security and decent pay for SNAs
- Invest to create thousands of new teaching posts —mainstream, learning support and special education — no more overcrowded classes!
- Affordable Public Housing Now so teachers and SNAs can live near where they work. Take housing out of the hands of vulture funds and into public control
- For OTs, psychologists and speech and language therapists throughout education.
- Massive investment in education so there is an appropriate school place for every child at primary and secondary.
Ableist, violent system:
On St. Patrick’s Day, the Government plans to ‘greenwash’ the Trump regime with smiles and shamrocks. Trump is a child abuser and a genocide enabler, presiding over ICE as his own personal far-right militia, terrorising immigrants and people of colour. An Taoiseach justifies the visit by citing the economic importance of the US regime and corporations for the economy and business. How crass! This is the logic of a system that puts profit before the needs of people.
This is the logic of a system that is innately ableist, because cherishing diversity, inclusion and equality runs counter to prioritising the button line. This is the logic of a system that routinely devalues care work, both unpaid and paid — a very gendered disregarding of work done disproportionately by women. The Socialist Party is seeking to aid the building of people power movements of solidarity of workers, communities, of survivors of gender violence, of students & more — and in doing so are seeking to popularise the socialist alternative to the failing capitalist system. Get active with us today
