Debate contribution: SEN Reform and Classroom Assistant Provision

Debate contribution by Mr Mark Durkan on 9 March 2026.

MLA

Mr Mark Durkan

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

9 March 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Opposition Business

Heading

SEN Reform and Classroom Assistant Provision

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5453501

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I beg to move

Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

As a parent, I see every day the transformative impact that a classroom assistant can have. My son benefits from that support. I know first-hand the difference that it makes not only to his engagement with education but emotionally and socially. For pupils, parents and the wider school community, classroom assistants are not simply support staff; they are a lifeline. That is why the emerging proposals to move away from the current model of one-to-one classroom support have caused such deep anxiety. That support is not a luxury or an add-on; it makes school possible. Families fight for years to secure that provision. It is an exhausting, lengthy process, and those same families now hear language that suggests that the support that they fought tooth and nail to secure is suddenly being portrayed as excessive or ineffective. Really? The Department claims that there is a growing body of research that suggests that one-to-one classroom assistance does not produce the best outcomes for most children. However, when asked to provide that evidence, the Department has not yet produced a clear and transparent evidence base to justify such sweeping claims, and the experiences of families, teachers and classroom assistants across our communities tell an extremely different story. Karen McAvoy, a special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) at Lisneal College, in my constituency, said that, if the proposals are forced upon us:

"the Department risks losing the trust and confidence of teachers".

Teachers cannot do their jobs without classroom assistants being in the room. Those to whom I have spoken reject the suggestion that one-to-one support is not working. In fact, they say quite the opposite. I recently met trade unions and spoke with parents and assistants directly. Those conversations were deeply emotional and revealed the reality of a dedicated, caring and immensely valuable workforce who build extraordinary bonds with the pupils whom they support. While proposals for specialised therapeutic input are important, that input is no replacement for the consistent, day-to-day relationships that SEN children have with their classroom assistants. Specialists, including occupational therapists (OTs) come into schools and set programmes for each child, but it is the classroom assistants who work with the children every day, see them through their ups and downs and carry out the therapy programme between visits. Do not take it just from me. There are countless testimonials from diligent, dedicated classroom assistants that demonstrate the effort and the hours that they put in, and the love and compassion that they pour into the children whom they are there to help. I do not have the time to get into them today, but some of the stories that I have heard from classroom assistants would bring a tear to your eye. We have had similar testimony from parents such as Juliana Harkin, in my constituency, who spoke movingly about how her son took his first steps with his classroom assistant. That kind of relationship cannot be replicated by any system of group provision. That is why so many families are so concerned about the direction of reform. When we talk about reducing one-to-one support, we are not just dealing with numbers on a spreadsheet but talking about changing the daily reality of some of our most vulnerable children.

Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

I thank the Member for that intervention. I can understand how someone might conclude that, particularly, as I have said, in the absence of the evidence on which the Department is relying and which any of us is yet to see. We have to talk honestly about the workforce. Many classroom assistants feel undervalued and underpaid, despite being central to the delivery of SEN provision. While recent movement on the pay and grading review is welcome, it does not go far enough towards addressing the systemic issues facing the workforce. We see a growing retention crisis because staff cannot afford to stay on in the roles. If we continue to undervalue the workers, we are effectively undervaluing our children's potential. I will move on, briefly, to the amendment, which reframes the proposals as "difficult and evidence-led decisions". There appears to be a deliberate attempt, in the messaging, to stress the positive aspects of the new model, but to do so risks insulting a workforce that we should listen to and engage with. There is also a clear, underlying aim to cut the costs of delivering SEN support. Parents are worried that their children's years of progress and development could unravel overnight. Teachers are concerned. They know and feel the value of the support in their classrooms. Classroom assistants feel insulted and undermined. That is not what confidence in reform looks like. The reason why recruitment and retention are difficult is not that classroom assistants are unnecessary but that the employment model is broken. The SDLP fully supports UNISON's Good Work campaign, better pay and an end to the term-time-only model for classroom assistants. If the Department genuinely wants to address recruitment issues, the solution is simple: invest in fixing the employment model instead of slashing support for

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

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:06 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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