A new multi-denominational primary school opened in Tallaght this week, but only one pupil has enrolled so far.
The only pupil at the school is a little girl just starting Junior Infants. She is being taught by the school principal, Stacey McAuley, while the school board wait to see if more children enrol by the end of the week.
The Department of Education said that Scoil Aoife was opened to meet a demographic need, and the expected to see more students enrolling in the next few weeks.
“It is not unusual for new schools to commence with low numbers and for enrolments to increase once the school is established. The school in question is expected to have higher numbers in the coming weeks,” a spokesperson for the department said.
The establishment of this school is part of a larger drive to create more non-denominational and multi-denominational schools in Ireland.
Over 90% of Ireland’s 3200 Primary Schools are under Catholic patronage, leaving few options for Ireland’s increasingly diverse population.
Nine community national schools have been established in Ireland by the Education and Training Board , along with 74 primary schools operated by Educate Together – an education NGO with a multi-denominational ethos.
