Five children who were left without any first year school place in Greystones, Co Wicklow have been offered admission to one of the town's three secondary schools this morning.
The news comes just two days after two mothers went public about the devastating impact the lack of a place was having on their children.
The principal of Greystones Community College called the parents of the children this morning with the offer.
The school had already agreed in recent weeks to create three new first year streams to cope with demographic demand in the area.
This amounted to an additional 72 places, but even that was not enough to meet demand and five children were left out.
On Wednesday two mothers spoke of their and their children's pain and anxiety, being left just a week before schools were due to reopen with nowhere to go.
Both had initially applied to Greystones' two other secondary schools, St David's and Temple Carraig, and so when additional places were created at Greystones' third school, there were many other children's names ahead of them on that schools waiting list.
All three second level schools in the town have been significantly oversubscribed this year.
On foot of Wednesday's interviews with RTÉ News, Greystones Community College has created an additional five places on top of the 72 already added.
The school has had to organise an additional science class and change subject options and timetables in order to do so.
One of the mothers, Cornelia, told RTÉ News today that she was relieved, and her son was "really happy" with the news.
"It's his birthday tomorrow and this is the best news," she said.
"I'm relieved," she said, "but I can't say that I'm happy".
Referring to her decision to go public on the matter she said: "To expose myself, it was huge. Usually I am a private person. No family should be put in this situation.
"We were waiting for months, and then in just two days this happened."
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RTÉ News report on some Greystones students not having a secondary school place
Cornelia said the principal of Greystones Community College, Ruairí Farrell, had phoned her this morning. She said she was impressed that he had called her.
"You expect maybe an email or a phone call from the secretary," she said, "but not a personal call from the principal. He was really, really good to offer a place."
Speaking to RTÉ News, Mr Farrell said: "As principal, I have worked with the Department of Education and Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board over the past number of weeks and it was very satisfying to be able to engineer a solution which enables us to accommodate the small number of children who remained on the schools waiting list but did not yet have a school place.
"These students can now look forward to commencing first year next Friday at Greystones Community College."
Cornelia's son, and the other four children who until this morning did not know where or even whether they would be starting secondary school next week, will now be no different to any other child in the town.
They will be among more than 170 first years who will embark on a new chapter in their education journey next Friday when Greystones Community College reopens.
