North Tipperary TD Michael Lowry is welcoming news that Special Needs Assistants in schools can be redeployed to vacant positions from the start of the next school year. This change comes about under a new SNA Redeployment Scheme, to be operated by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE)
‘From September, a Special Needs Assistant will not be made redundant if the number of roles allocated to a school changes. If such a situation arises, the SNA will be eligible for deployment to another school where vacancies exist” according to the Independent TD. The new scheme was announced yesterday by the Minister for Education Helen McEntee.
Deputy Lowry says the change “provides job certainty and stability for SNA’s and allows them to make life plans without the ongoing fear of job loss and will also enhance the provision of services for children with significant care needs ensuring that essential skills and talent will not be lost” from the sector.
The news has been welcomed by the Fórsa Union, which represents most of the 23,000 SNAs employed across the country in both Primary and Post-Primary schools.
