Special needs assistants cut 'cruel'

THE PRINCIPAL of a special needs school in Dublin has described a cut in numbers of special needs assistants during the school term as “cruel”.

St Joseph’s special school in Balrothery, West Dublin, was forced to lay off four assistants yesterday after finance for the posts was withdrawn.

The school had been the subject of a review by the National Council for Special Needs (NCSE), a statutory body established by the Department of Education to “improve the delivery of education services to persons with special educational needs”.

The NCSE has said up to 300 special needs assistants will lose their jobs. Unions have said the figure will be closer to 1,200.

Principal of St Joseph’s, Breandáin Ó Heineacháin, said the requirement to remove special needs assistants in the middle of the school year was “cruel”. The school would likely lose further assistants by June, he said.

An NCSE spokesman said it had held off removing a further four special needs assistants from St Joseph’s “without prejudice” until medical reports were processed.