Minister of State with special responsibility for Special Education Michael Moynihan has confirmed that all children looking to secure a place at Little Angels Special School in Letterkenny, Co Donegal in September will be accommodated.
The news has been welcomed by parents.
Back in February, at least nine families across Donegal received notification that they were unsuccessful in getting a place for their children next September, even though Little Angels Special School is due to move into a new purpose-built building.
Nine families came together to campaign for appropriate school spaces for their children over the past two months.
They met with public representatives from across the political spectrum.
Mr Moynihan met with parents last week following a protest they staged at Leinster House on World Autism Awareness Day.
Minister of State and local Donegal TD Charlie McConalogue said: "Following intensive engagement between the Department of Education and HSE, an agreement has been reached which will see up to four modular classrooms from the current site continuing to be utilised, creating additional capacity at the school".
Mr McConalogue acknowledged that this is something that "has been a source of stress and concern for the nine families who have applied for a place at Little Angels in September, and who had faced a number of weeks of uncertainty".
"Confirmation that places have been secured for all concerned will give the parents the much-needed certainty they need and deserve," Mr McConalogue added.
In a statement, the Don’t Forget our Little Angels for September 2025 group said it received the call for which they were "hoping and praying".
"We are overjoyed to share that our beautiful children will have their well-deserved placements at Little Angels School this September," it said.
"This is the news we fought so hard for. The sleepless nights, the tears, the anxiety — it wasn’t for nothing.
"Our voices were heard. And today, we celebrate a victory not just for our children, but for every child who needs a little extra help and love
"We want to thank everyone who helped us on this journey — your support carried us through," the group added.
Sinn Féin TD for Donegal Pearse Doherty said in a post on social media that he was delighted that "the children denied a place in Little Angels will now be accommodated".
Mr Doherty congratulated all the mothers who campaigned for what he said was "their child’s constitutional right".
"It shouldn’t have taken mothers camping outside the Dáil to get this result. They deserve a huge congratulations for their campaign. Let’s now work for the permanent solution," Mr Doherty concluded.
As a result of the announcement, a planned protest in Letterkenny next Sunday has been cancelled.
Little Angels is the only school in Co Donegal catering for children aged between three and 18 years old with profound and severe learning disabilities.
