A school in Co Clare has just one day to enrol new students to save it from closure next year.
Furglan National School has seven pupils, four short of the 11 required to guarantee that it stays open beyond the school year.
Located between Ennistymon and Inagh, the school is appealing to parents in north Clare to enrol their children by tomorrow to secure the school's long-term future.
It boasts what might be the best student teacher ratio in the country, with two teachers, a part-time special needs teacher and an SNA for seven pupils.
Principal Patricia Vaughan has taught at the school for 30 years and been principal for 25. She has issued an SOS.
"We are making this appeal to save our school. If we don’t have those four children, our future is really in jeopardy."
She said the school has a lot to offer the children of the local community. "We have seven wonderful children, lovely parents and lovely staff.
"These children are just as important as the children in classrooms bursting at the seams in Dublin."
Furglan NS must secure the extra students by tomorrow or hope that the Department of Education’s retention threshold is lowered, or that the school’s patrons, the diocese of Galway and Kilfenora, make an exception for the school.
"The department will look back at the previous year’s figures, and last year we had 12 on the role, which was enough to secure our future last year."
The principal is not looking to take children from other local schools, she is hoping parents of children who have not started school will consider her school.
"Four or five-year-olds who are not yet enrolled in any school yet, children who have arrived from abroad maybe or people moving from other parts of Ireland."
Ms Vaughan said that she is going to do everything that she can do to save the school, but the clock is ticking before the final school bells rings.
