IPPN

Published: 18 September 2014

What breaks is an SNA entitled to?
Schools normally apply the same break entitlements to SNAs as to teachers.  If this is a 10-minute break in the morning and a 30-minute lunch break for teachers the same should apply to SNAs.  Circular guidance is not provided on this topic. It does not make for good staff relations if SNAs are treated differently in terms of breaks to teachers.

How do you calculate full-time SNAs hours?
Full day SNAs are contracted for 32 hours. If you divide 32 hours by 5 you get 6 hours 24 minutes per day. However the pupil is only in school for 5 hours 24 minutes per day. The confusion arises in the difference here, with IMPACT arguing that the SNA should only be working the lesser hours (5 hrs 24 minutes). The reality on the ground is actually somewhere between both.  The SNA has to be in school to receive their pupil(s). For most schools this is 10 - 15 minutes before-hand. The same rule applies at the end of the school day, where they may be needed to tidy up etc. This then equates to 30 - 31 hours actually worked by an SNA. The amount of time that an SNA has to be in before and after school is set down by the Board of Management.  For the full-time infant day, subtract 1 hour per day. SNAs work in reality between 25 to 26 hours - the infant day in school (4 hours 24 minutes per day) and the 10 to 15 minutes before and after school.

Is an SNA assigned to an individual pupil or to the school?
There are very few SNAs in schools now assigned to just one pupil. The norm now is that the SENO grants access to an SNA for a number of pupils. It is at the discretion of the principal, as the day-to-day manager of the school acting on behalf of the BoM, when and where and with whom the SNA works. All SNAs are required to assist with supervision. One of the key areas for supervision is yard duty.

There are very few SNAs left in the system that are on child-specific contracts. SNAs had to make a decision in 2005 whether to go on the new school contract or opt for a child-specific contract. There is flexibility for the principal to assign SNAs to best meet the needs of the school and to work with other pupils. Indeed many schools would have a programme whereby the 'designated' pupil(s) are given some independence and not totally dependent on an SNA. There may be issues if an SNA was designated to do work not associated with an SEN pupil, such as making the tea or secretarial work. There should not be a problem for an SNA to be working with other SEN pupils or preparing work under the direction of the teacher, such as photocopying, making flash cards, etc.  Bear in mind that SEN pupils cover a wide range from low incidence pupils to pupils below the 10% rank, traveller pupils, foreign-national pupils and so on. The latter three are included in GAM.