Photo: Don’t forget our little angels for September 2025
Parents of children denied places at the Little Angels Special School in Letterkenny say they are ‘feeling optimistic’ after meeting with Minister of State for Special Education, Michael Moynihan TD.
Families were invited into Leinster House today, World Autism Day, as they staged a protest outside Dáil Éireann.
Their fight concerns the lack of capacity for nine children at Little Angels, despite the school moving to a new state-of-the-art facility in September.
Members of the ‘Don’t Forget Our Little Angels’ campaign say they had a “productive meeting with Minister Moynihan and are feeling optimistic about the discussions”.
“We remain committed to holding the Minister accountable to the promises made during the meeting.”
Their protest continues tonight with a 24-hour sleepout at the gates of Dáil Éireann. They are joined by other parents from across Ireland facing similar challenges in securing appropriate school placements for their children with complex needs.
Donegal Minister of State, Charlie McConalogue, also described today’s meeting as ‘positive and constructive’.
Minister McConalogue commented: “I was glad to arrange the meeting with Minister Moynihan and the parents of children seeking to secure a place at Little Angels in September at their request. The meeting was attended by Oireachtas members from Donegal and Minister Moynihan gave an update on the ongoing work by his department on the issue. He also gave a commitment to achieve a resolution to the need for additional school places at Little Angels as quickly as possible.”
“Minister Moynihan listened intently to the concerns of parents and assured them that he is doing everything necessary to resolve the issue as soon as possible, and ensure that additional school places are provided,” Minister McConalogue added.
Parents have been advised that they will receive an update on Monday.
“I will continue to work with Minister Moynihan and other representatives to get an agreed solution and the much-needed certainty regarding school places for children as soon as possible,” the Minister McConalogue said.
“The demand for places at Little Angels has increased significantly in recent years. In 2018, the school had 17 teachers and 73 pupils. Last month, an architect from the Department of Education travelled to the school in Letterkenny at the request of Minister Moynihan to assess the potential options for additional places in September. I am confident there are options available that will deliver a successful outcome,” he added.
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