A Sligo Leitrim TD says he will be calling for a review of the assessment criteria for schools to get Special Needs Assistants.
It follows confirmation that despite an overall increase in the number of SNAs assigned to schools for the coming school year, there has been cuts for some schools.
Figures on the National Council for Special Education website show that overall there was an increase in SNAs assigned to schools across the country of over 700 between the school year just gone compared to the coming 2016/2017 school year.
However, Sligo showed a cut in SNA numbers in all three schools of primary, secondary and special schools.
Despite the overall increase nationwide, when you break down the figures for example at a primary school level – 11 schools in Sligo, 9 in Leitrim and 9 in Leitrim have fewer or in some cases no SNAs in their schools in the coming year.
Scoil Naisunta na Carraige in Carrick in Donegal is one of those schools and its principal Anna Maire Nic Giolla Easpaig told Ocean FM that the criteria is too strict for them to qualify.
She says pupils are being put into mainstream classes with no support:
