Minister of State for Education Michael Moynihan has confirmed schools approved for additional special-needs assistant (SNA) care will get the allocations they require. He told the Dáil if a school has gone through an SNA assessment “and it was clearly demonstrated in that school that there was additional care needed, that has to be stood over”. He added that if schools were losing their SNA it was always going to be from September 1st, 2026, “not now or not some time at Easter”. The Minister, who has responsibility for special education, was answering questions about the pausing of the controversial review of SNA allocations. It has to be done in conjunction with a redeployment plan for SNA, something that I believe is almost there.”

Source: The Irish Times February 20, 2026 12:24 UTC