Motion or amendment: SEN Reform and Classroom Assistant Provision - Amendment 1

Motion or amendment by Mr Peter Martin on 5 March 2026.

MLA: Mr Peter Martin
Party at the time: Democratic Unionist Party
Date: 5 March 2026
Type: Motion or amendment
Business: Motion Amendment · Private Members' Motion · to “SEN Reform and Classroom Assistant Provision”
Heading: SEN Reform and Classroom Assistant Provision - Amendment 1
Assembly identifier: Document 474710

Read the official Assembly record Open Data source

Text

SEN Reform and Classroom Assistant Provision - Amendment 1
Leave out all after ‘well-being across our education system’ and insert: ‘;expresses concern that with more than 12,500 special educational needs (SEN) classroom assistants already employed, it is becoming increasingly difficult to recruit, as well as retain, appropriately qualified staff; notes proposals by the Education Authority and the Department of Education, as part of wider special educational needs reform, to move away from models based predominantly of one-to-one pupil support toward small group provision, specialist therapeutic input, and more flexible school budgets for SEN; acknowledges the concerns raised by some parents, classroom assistants, trade unions and education professionals about the direction and pace of these changes, and the potential impact on vulnerable pupils; believes this is another example of the Education Authority and Minister of Education taking difficult and evidence-led decisions to reform our education system and improve outcomes; and calls on the Minister of Education to ensure that any reform improves outcomes for children and young people, strengthens terms and conditions, properly values the classroom assistant workforce, and is fully resourced.’

181 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.