Counsel for children who still do not have a school place Brendan Hennessy BL told the High Court that the final figure on legal challenges over the lack of school places for children with special needs could be as high as 50.

Parents of children who cannot access school places appropriate for their additional needs are staging a 24-hour protest outside Leinster House.

For the coming school year, parents of children in areas of high enrolment pressure are being advised by education authorities to apply to multiple secondary schools due to the volume of oversubscribed places in such areas.

Scores of students are receiving home tutoring due to a lack of places in oversubscribed schools.