The Christian Brothers have agreed to keep St Michael's School in Dublin open for one more year to give parents a chance to make alternative arrangements.
Shocked parents were told earlier this week that the primary school, which has been educating boys since the 1930s, was to close at the end of the school year.
Conor O'Brien, director of education for St Helen's province of the Christian Brothers, said: "The issue of closure has never been off the agenda for the last eight years", and that numbers at the school had been falling to a point where now there were 63 pupils."
However, at 10pm last night, following a meeting with Minister for Education Mary Hanafin, the Brothers issued a statement reversing the earlier decision.
The statement said the school would stay open until June 2007, but the Brothers sought an urgent meeting with officials in the Department of Education on staffing and resources.
"It is hoped that this additional year will allow more time and opportunity for parents to make alternative provision for their children's schooling," the statement concluded.
Principal Mary Frewen told ireland.comthis morning she was "delighted" with the news. "We're delighted that there is no longer a state of panic."
She added: "We had RTÉ and Sky News outside. The boys love that. Behaviour has gone down. They have been very hyper and excited. I'll be glad to see the school get back to normal."
Labour Party deputy for Dublin South Central Mary Upton welcomed the decision to keep St Michael's open
But she said this decision was "merely a reprieve, and that every effort must now be made to find permanent school places for local children.
"Parents, pupils and teachers will welcome this stay of execution for St Michael's . . . yet the fact remains that whatever the reasons for the decision to shut St Michael's, the community cannot afford to lose primary school places."
