Simon Harris said initial communication about it, in which almost 200 schools were told they could lose SNAs, was “botched”. It came after the National Council for Special Education told several schools they could lose part of their SNA allocation. Mr Moynihan also repeatedly refused to say if he expected any schools to lose SNAs. Mr Doherty accused Mr Moynihan of plunging families into panic and said: “Children with additional needs and their families are entitled to certainty, stability and respect. After initially saying the process would be done in “a number of weeks” and “as soon as possible", Mr Moynihan declined to give a specific date.

Source: The Herald February 21, 2026 09:58 UTC