Donegal mother forced to be an SNA to keep daughter in school

A mother from Muff says she has been left with no choice but to step into the classroom as a Special Needs Assistant (SNA) to ensure her seven-year-old daughter can complete the school day.

Rosemarie McColgan has been attending Scoil Naomh Bríd three days a week since September to supervise her daughter, Tegan, who has epilepsy. Although Tegan has been allocated an SNA for this school year, the support is only provided until lunchtime.

“She does have an SNA, but it’s only until lunchtime,” Rosemarie explained. “So for her to stay the rest of the school day, I have to go in three days a week, and there’s somebody doing work experience for the other two days. Otherwise, I’d have to take her home early.”

Tegan, who has just turned seven and is in Senior Infants, requires close supervision due to her epilepsy, which has become increasingly volatile over the past eight months. Since the summer, she has been in and out of the hospital as doctors worked to stabilise her condition.

“You just don’t know what’s going to happen at the minute,” Rosemarie said. “We’re trying to get it back under control, so she can’t really be left without supervision.”

Thankfully, Tegan has not experienced a seizure in school. Her most recent episodes occurred over Halloween while she was off school, resulting in two hospitalisations. However, the unpredictability of epilepsy means constant vigilance is still required.

“There was one day I had to go in because she had a bad nosebleed, and they were worried it might trigger a seizure. Thankfully, she hasn’t had one in school, but she still needs to be carefully monitored.”

The Muff mother adds that while the school has been supportive, staffing levels remain a concern. Scoil Naomh Bríd currently has one and a half SNAs for approximately 200 pupils. A review of SNA allocations was carried out in December, but no outcome has yet been communicated.

The school’s principal, Gary Foster, who took up his role at the end of September, has been actively seeking answers.“He’s constantly emailing and ringing, trying to find out if we’re getting additional hours or support, but he can’t get any answers,” Rosemarie said. “The teachers are fantastic, the school has been amazing, but you can’t expect one teacher to watch 30 children on their own and give one child the constant supervision she needs.”

Rosemarie, who previously worked delivering PE programmes in primary and secondary schools across Northern Ireland, has significantly reduced her working hours to accommodate Tegan’s needs. What was meant to be a short-term arrangement has stretched on for months.

“I didn’t envisage that come February I’d still be in the classroom. It’s not fair to her to have mammy sitting in the room for an hour every day.”

The situation also impacts the wider family. Rosemarie and her husband have four children, including a younger son who attends playschool. On the days she is in school with Tegan, alternative arrangements must be made to collect and care for him.

“It’s not just the hour I’m in school,” she explained. “There are other logistics that have to be put in place. I’ve cut my work right back to a couple of hours one day a week. We’re lucky my husband works full-time.”

However, Rosemarie says the uncertainty around SNA provision continues to weigh heavily. “She needs that extra hour. Whatever her full school hours are, she needs somebody there full-time.”

Rosemarie will join parents, teachers, and community members at a protest in Buncrana this week, highlighting concerns over proposed cuts to SNA supports. The demonstration, titled ‘Stop the Cuts, Support the Kids’, will take place at Market Square on Wednesday, February 25, at 5pm.

“We’ll definitely be out,” she said. “It’s necessary now. It’s time to make a lot of noise. From being in the school myself, you can see the pressure teachers are under. There’s just a constant worry.”

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For now, Rosemarie remains in the classroom from 12.45pm until 1.55pm,  not as a qualified SNA, but as a mother determined to ensure her daughter can safely enjoy a full school day alongside her classmates. 

With Tegan set to move into First Class in September, bringing with it a longer school day, the pressure on Rosemarie is only set to intensify unless proper full-time support is put in place.