Letters were sent to a tranche of mainstream primary schools last week following reviews by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) advising them of the cuts. On Monday, education minister Ms Naughton confirmed that approximately half of the NCSE reviews of next year’s SNA allocations have taken place so far. Of these, roughly two thirds of schools will retain their current SNA posts for 2026 or gain more. However, this leaves roughly 194 schools that have been advised of cuts to SNA posts so far. Sinn Féin spokesperson on special education Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh said schools have told her that the proposed cuts are “not aligned with any meaningful change in pupils’ needs.”Jess Casey is Education Correspondent.

Source: Irish Examiner February 16, 2026 16:30 UTC