Irish Parents to Government: Take School Dinners Before Cutting Student Support
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If you’ve watched your child struggle to hold a pencil, fight to get words on paper, or fall apart after a long day of sitting still—you’re not imagining things. Irish parents are sounding the alarm about proposed changes to Special Needs Assistant (SNA) allocations, and they’re making one thing crystal clear: these supports aren’t optional extras—they’re the difference between children accessing learning or checking out entirely.
TL;DR
Irish parents and teachers are protesting potential cuts to Special Needs Assistant (SNA) allocations in schools.
The government paused its SNA review, but families fear changes to how needs are defined could reduce support.
For children developing handwriting skills with dysgraphia patterns, SNA support like movement breaks is critical for accessing learning.
Parents report children "fall apart" without these supports, affecting both emotional regulation and educational outcomes.
Schools are planning protests, with one SNA saying they'd rather lose school dinners than see vital support cut.
What’s Happening in Irish Schools
The Irish Government may have paused its review of SNA allocations, but concern among parents whose children rely on this support hasn’t faded. Families fear that changes in how needs are defined—or reductions in SNA numbers at individual schools—could dramatically impact the level of support their children receive.
Louise Lennox’s 12-year-old son Alex receives SNA support at his school. He is developing reading skills with dyslexia patterns, building handwriting skills with dysgraphia patterns, developing focus with ADHD characteristics, and is currently awaiting an autism assessment. His mother believes any move to reduce SNA numbers will affect every single child in every school.
“Children like my son won’t get a movement break, so there’s going to be more challenges for the teacher in an oversized class,” Lennox explains. Movement breaks are designed to create stress relief and mood enhancement through physical activity—avoiding long periods of sitting that drain focus and increase frustration.
When Alex doesn’t receive these breaks, his mother sees the consequences immediately. “When he comes home, he falls apart,” she says, adding it also affects his eating. “He needs that movement… And if he doesn’t get that—he finds learning really challenging as it is—we can forget about his educational needs.” These breaks also give Alex a chance to connect with other neurodiverse children, since he typically spends lunch breaks alone.
Author Quote"
Quote: Children like my son won’t get a movement break, so there’s going to be more challenges for the teacher in an oversized class. When he comes home, he falls apart. He needs that movement. And if he doesn’t get that—he finds learning really challenging as it is—we can forget about his educational needs. Attribution: Louise Lennox, Parent
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Not applicable - no significant bias identified
What Parents Are Saying
Aisling Owens Nash’s 11-year-old son is connected to the autism class in his primary school. She’s hoping he can fully transition to mainstream classes, but if his access to adequate SNA support changes, these plans would be disrupted. “We would probably strongly consider keeping him in the unit. And it’s not what we want.”
Her goal is to mainstream him with support. “Because he’s never not going to need some level of support.” He needs SNA help to navigate social aspects and his own emotional regulation—watching for signs he needs a break, helping him recognize that and take it without feeling bad about it.
Author and mental health advocate Rory O’Connor knows firsthand how difficult school can be for children with learning differences. His seven-year-old son Zach is developing reading and writing skills with dyslexia patterns, building focus with ADHD characteristics, and is autistic. “I was one of them—misunderstood in school, a bit of a messer, ended up getting nothing out of primary school, kicked out of class, facing the wall,” O’Connor says. “There is nothing worse than a child feeling inadequate or stupid when they’re not. The SNAs are vital cogs in keeping children confident and chirpy in school.”
Key Takeaways:
1
SNA Support at Risk: Irish parents and teachers are fighting proposed cuts to Special Needs Assistants, with schools already notified of significant post reductions.
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Movement Breaks Are Critical: For children developing writing skills with dysgraphia patterns, movement breaks prevent emotional dysregulation and enable learning access.
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Parents Demand Change: Families are calling on the government to protect these supports, saying they'd rather lose school dinners than vital student services.
The Path Forward
Sandra Owens has been an SNA since 1997. Her school, St Andrew’s in Lucan, was notified it was losing nearly six SNA posts. “We need to change the contract—that it doesn’t just limit us to care needs,” she says. “Children that we help are going to be left now, because obviously we’re only going to be able to help with the major problems.”
Staff at St Andrew’s plan to stand outside the school from Monday in protest. “We’d be better off with them taking those school dinners back and giving us the budget for ourselves if their cuts are financial ones,” Owens adds. What happens next could set the precedent for how Ireland supports children with developing skills—whether the system chooses to build capabilities or manage limitations.
Author Quote"
Quote: There is nothing worse than a child feeling inadequate or stupid when they’re not. The SNAs are vital cogs in keeping children confident and chirpy in school. Attribution: Rory O’Connor, Author and Mental Health Advocate
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Here’s what we know for certain: children’s brains change. When given the right support, they develop skills that once seemed impossible. The question isn’t whether children with developing skills can learn—they absolutely can. The question is whether we’ll build systems that develop capabilities or manage limitations.
The system that labels rather than develops has failed too many families for too long. Parents are their children’s first, most important, and most powerful teachers—and they’re speaking up.
If you’re ready to stop waiting for a system that wasn’t designed for your child, the Learning Success All Access Program offers a free trial that includes a personalized Action Plan—and you keep that plan even if you decide it’s not the right fit.
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