‘Questions to answer’ on autism provision

A dispute has broken out between Seán Sherlock, the junior minister for education, and a school board of management over how three children with special needs ended up being taught in the windowless storeroom of a new €4.2m school.

Mr Sherlock maintained yesterday that the school board of Rushbrooke NS, Cobh, Co Cork, had questions to answer.

He claimed the board had written to the Department of Education in April, while the new school was under construction, saying “there was adequate provision for three ASD [autism spectrum disorder] classrooms”.