Nash welcomes extra SNA hours for Louth school

Local Labour TD Ged Nash has welcomed confirmation that Marymount National School in Ballsgrove has secured an additional 1.5 whole time equivalent SNA hours (mainstream) under an appeal to the National Council for Special Education (NCSE).

He said; "I have supported this fantastic local school, and many great local schools, who have found themselves in a position where the NCSE has recommended additional SNA resources only for those resources to be kept from them because of government under-resourcing and bureaucratic wrangling.

"Thanks to their successful appeal, the school's mainstream SNA allocation will be upped from 2.5 to 4. The truth is, the school community should not have been placed in this difficult position in the first place. 

"This is an undoubtedly positive outcome in its own context but all of those involved will acknowledge that this allocation is nowhere near the optimum situation. 

"Schools across Louth and Ireland still have to operate a loaves and fishes scenario, doing the very best they can with what little they have, as school staff strive to give every child the best chance and supports possible. 

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"It is unacceptable to me that schools in this day and age have no option but to publicly campaign for access to the very basic levels of resources they need, and in one of Europe's richest countries. 

"The fact is supports for children with additional needs in our mainstream schools and across the school system are not keeping pace with demand, and are still being rationed. This needs to change, and change fast."