‘We can’t let them think it’s all over’ – Galway SNA protesters vow to fight on
Educators and parents have warned that Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) provide a vital bridge for vulnerable students, as more than a hundred people gathered outside the Education Minister’s Galway city office this week to protest proposed support-staff cuts.
Teachers, parents, SNAs, and a cross-party group of local representatives turned out to voice anger over the planned reduction in school allocations, a decision that was ultimately deferred this week following widespread backlash.
Joining similar demonstrations taking place nationwide, on Wednesday evening February 25, protesters at the Galway rally stressed the essential role SNAs play in the classroom and the specialist support they provide to students.
“We are at an absolute crisis point. All of the various problems with disability services for children, they all compound upon each other and have for a very long time,” Social Democrats by-election candidate, Míde Nic Fhionnlaoich said.
She told the Irish Independent that when the minister pulled back on the review of SNA roles broke on Monday, parents of students and educators asked her to participate in a demonstration.
“It has created a situation where parents are at their absolute wits end, teachers are at their absolute wits end, and kids are at their absolute wits end, and it is the SNAs who are really acting as the stopgap there, and acting as that critical support.”
In attendance was also Katie Coughlan, who was told Monday morning that her job as a SNA in the autism centre at St Joseph’s Patrician College was being cut.
“It’s just been a horrendous 12 hours,” she said, pointing to other conflicts like capacity and resources at the school she had already been managing to navigate. “We had asked for a review in the hope of increasing hours.”
“What I have a huge question mark over was the fact that there was supposed to be no removal of SNAs,” she explained.
“When I got that notice, I now entered the redeployment list, which has not been completed,” indicating what she believes was a primary reason for the pause in implementing recommendations.
“They started to remove SNAs, putting them on a redeployment list to move them to other places up to 45 minutes away from where they are currently stationed, and they didn't have the places set up for where they would be.”
Redeployment works on a first in, first out basis which means that Ms Coughlan now likely stands behind half a dozen other full-time SNAs also looking for a new school in Galway City.
Ms Coughlan said the Government’s recent decision is once again reactive, pointing to a review that should have redefined the role of the SNA in 2014.
Circular 30/2014 was born out of a review of Special Needs Assistant across the country that specified focus on a care-based role rather than an administrative one.
The northern region education leader for Fórsa, Dave Sexton, said the first step must be a full review of the circular.
“That circular, in its present form, is not fit for purpose. It only allows for children with primary care needs have access to a special needs assistant.
“We need that circular expanded to cater for children who have needs that aren't prime care needs - that might be behaviours that are a challenge in the classroom.
“What an SNA does in the school is vitally important in terms of being able to assist those students access their education.”
At the rally, a mother stood with her two boys showing support for their own SNAs that have navigated the education system with her son since junior infancy.
“She knows them all by name and she knows all their little things. She's very good to them. She was there on their communion day, she didn't have to be and she was.”
“It would be detrimental, especially to my lads, if they weren’t in the classroom,” she added.
There is a level of practical support SNAs provide in the classroom – preparing for trips, finding shoes, getting books and homework organised, ensuring all the little things to prepare a child to learn are in order. But the theme that rang throughout the group was the emotional support and care that nearly surpasses any other need.
Siobhan Daly is on a career break from being a primary school teacher but she sees the ripple in the waters over SNA provision being just “the tip of the iceberg.” She attended the protest with her daughter, Róise, who is an occupational therapist.
Ms Daly said the issue is much bigger than the yo-yo of events that have happened in the last three days, it’s about finally getting the recognition for the deficits in education as a whole.
“This is not about the cuts, or pausing the cuts, this is about doing better. We want more, we want more tomorrow. We're chilled because every single day, we know children cannot get inside school doors.”
Additionally, the age of mental health crisis is getting lower and lower, Ms Daly said. “We have four and five year old children with severe mental health problems talking about suicide on a regular basis in this country.”
“We build systems and big classrooms and noisy schools, and none of these neurodivergent children can fit into that made up, manufactured, artificial environment. The only chance that most of these children have are the SNAs.”
Róise added: “It’s like the school systems and environments are set up that these kids can’t thrive because the systems are so mismatched.”
“Let's be clear as well, these children don't need extra attention because they're neurodivergent, these children need extra attention because they're living in a neurotypical world. They're living in a system designed for neurotypicals, so therefore their needs aren't being met.”
National demonstrations come after a week of information stating a pause to the SNA allocation reviews.
Nearly 580 schools were reviewed by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and a third were told to expect a decrease in SNAs in their school this year. After uproar from affected parties, Education Minister Hildegarde Naughton pulled back on the review on February 17 promising, “There will be more SNAs in every county, in mainstream, special classes and special schools in September 2026 than today.”
It was confirmed some days later, that SNA roles for the 2026/27 school year would not be at risk and the introduction of a €19 million boost for retention of SNAs would be invested.
The NCSE review process was conducted over a 6-week period looking at whole-school care needs and how an SNA contributes to that ecosystem.
Three determinations based on the review would be applied: “no change in allocation, an additional SNA allocation or a determination of a surplus allocation relative to existing primary care needs” at which point the SNA would be removed and put on the redeployment list.
The final call at the demonstration was an “immediate” review of the workforce development plan from Mr Sexton with Fórsa.
“As a group, if we stick together, we can move the government into a room to resolve these issues.”
“It is really important because after today, they will think that it's all over. We can't let them do that so we have to keep going.”
Demonstrators who wrote letters of concern to the minister were encouraged to place them in her Galway city office mailbox at the protest.
“Every single child has the right to feel safe in a school building, in their classroom, and right now they don't. If until things improve all we have are the SNAs, then we want so many more,” Ms Daly said as her final words.
The Irish Independent has reached out to the Education Minister for comment.