301. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Education and Youth if a school in County Kerry (details supplied) will be successful in their appeal for a much needed special needs assistant position; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66984/26]

This government is fully committed to supporting students with special educational needs to fulfil their full potential and the Programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective.

Special needs assistants (SNA)s play a central role in the successful inclusion of students with additional and significant care needs in schools. They help ensure that these students can access an education to enable them to achieve their best outcomes and reach their full potential.

SNA posts are allocated to schools as a school-based resource. Principals/boards of management deploy SNAs within schools to meet the care support requirements of the students enrolled whom SNA support has been allocated. This provides schools flexibility in how the SNA support is utilised.

In relation to the school referred to by the Deputy the NCSE have advised my department that the school previously appealed their SNA allocation and received an outcome that the SNA allocation in the school was deemed to be sufficient to support the students.

If a school has a concern with either their SNA allocation for the 2026/27 school year or the outcome of a SNA review/appeal, they should discuss the matter with their NCSE Special Education Needs Organiser (SENO).

My department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that sufficient special education placements remain available for students with special educational needs and will continue to review and monitor the situation as to where new specialist provision is required.