Louise Lennox’s 12-year-old son Alex avails of SNA support at school. “He finds communication and friendships really challenging.”Lennox says SNAs are “not an addition to a school, a nice-to-have; they help children cope with being in school”. She is hoping he can fully transition to mainstream classes but, if his access to adequate SNA support was to change, these plans would be disrupted. “We need to change the contract – that it doesn’t just limit us to care needs,” Owens says. Looking at the school’s needs versus its SNA allocation, Owens questions how staff will be able to work next year.

Source: The Irish Times February 20, 2026 18:56 UTC