SNA Appreciation Day - Forsa
The first ever SNA Appreciation Day kicks off today (26th September 2024). There are an incredible 3,750 schools across Ireland participating, and nearly 11,000 people entered a competition to win prizes for SNAs and schools.
Special Needs Assistants play a crucial role in supporting students with additional needs, and are at the heart of our schools.
The huge response shows the deep appreciation for SNAs. Noreen O Mahony, chair of the Education Divisional Executive, said: “We were delighted with the response to the SNA Appreciation Day. Schools have been so positive.
“Our colleagues on the school secretaries’ branch were fantastic in distributing their packs once they came in. Parents, principals, teachers, school secretaries, and SNA members themselves have been fantastic in their response.”
At its core, this is not just about a one-day recognition of SNAs. It’s about fostering a deeper understanding of the integral role that they play in schools. Noreen says that the best-run schools are those where every member of staff, from the principal to the caretaker, feels valued and involved.
Noreen is not surprised by the scale of the mobilisation of SNAs in response to this. She credits the broader SNA community for driving this effort: “I never doubted this, they’re an amazing bunch. Anytime we run training, anything like that, they show up in their droves,” she said proudly. We have four SNA branches, and they are among some of the most active branches in the union.
SNAs also continue to face significant challenges, including the 72 obligatory hours from the Croke Park agreement. And we are currently working on the more formal recognition of SNAs through ongoing contract renegotiations with the Department of Education. Our goal is to ensure that SNAs are not only appreciated by their peers and school communities, but also receive the institutional recognition and support they deserve.
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