Simon Harris said ‘when something goes wrong, you’ve got to put your hands up and you’ve got to fix it’.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said the pause of the review of SNA allocations was to ‘alleviate pressure on government’

Hildegarde Naughton said she had ‘listened’ and understood the concern caused by the ‘cliff edge’ approach to SNA provision.

There is ‘no point’ in announcing a target completion for a review of special needs assistant (SNA) allocations, a minister has said.

‘What I see is an increase in my area, and I do see a redeployment,’ the Health Minister said.

It follows complaints from schools and parents, reporting a reduction in the number of available posts.

The inaugural initiative highlights the vital role SNAs play in supporting students with additional needs and the school communities in which they work.