More than 50 children enrolled for September at a multi-denominational primary school in Swords, Co Dublin, will have to enrol elsewhere after the school failed to secure premises.
The Swords Educate Together National School (SETA) had enrolled local children for its first year of operation, but an arrangement to use a scout hall as temporary premises fell through.
The Department of Education will not provide a permanent site for multi-denominational schools until they have proved their longterm viability. The secretary of SETA, Mr Gerry McKevitt, said this rule was unfair in that it only applied to multi-denominational and Irish-language schools.
"A lot of our parents were very disappointed, although the places were never guaranteed to them," Mr McKevitt said. "Some of the parents have deferred their child's place while others have gone to other local schools."
Fingal County Council has reserved a site for a school in the Broadmeadows area of Swords, and SETA is hopeful this will be made available to them.
The Swords area has several national schools but due to its growing population there is a high demand for new schools. The lack of suitable sites has caused many projects to run into problems.