This policy, geared to making a difference to the teaching and learning of Special Needs Children in our school, was devised following a consultative process with all interested parties, and is guided by the relevant legislation such as The Education Welfare Act 2000 and the EPSEN Act 2004, as well as Department of Education and Science Circulars 07/02, 08/03, 24/03, 13/04, 02/05 and 15/05.
Rationale
The policy was formulated:

• So that teaching staff and SNAs have clear guidelines on procedures within the school
• So that each SNA isd facilitated in optimising their efforts to contribute positively to the learning experiences of the children and the overall efficiency of the school
• To ensure that a culture of fairness and equality is in operation throughout the school
• To clarify issues relating to seniority and suppression of posts

Aims

• To facilitate the inclusion of SNAs as valuable members of staff in a whole-school context
• To ensure the effective deployment of SNAs in supporting the inclusion of Special Needs Children in our school
• To enable the SNA to be an effective support to the class teachers
• To provide optimum learning experiences for all children through judicial use of the skills and talents of the SNA
• To clarify the taskes and duties to be undertaken by the SNA