Just six children have turned up for school today at a Co Louth primary school where parents and Department of Education inspectors have expressed concern at standards.

Scoil Náisiunta Bhrighde in Faughart had 55 pupils last year, and more than a hundred five years ago.

The school reopened today after the summer break.

More than 30 families have withdrawn their children this year and sent them elsewhere.

The Department of Education inspected the school earlier this year. In its report, published in May, inspectors made a number of critical findings.

The report stated that "leadership for learning within the school was not prioritised sufficiently".

It said "the oversight role of the Board of Management was not being discharged satisfactorily".

It found "a significant variation in the quality of teaching of certain subjects, ranging from outstanding to poor".

Their report said that action should be taken "as a matter of priority" to "rebuild trust within the school community and to improve enrolment".

The school's Board of Management was dissolved last May after its two parent representatives resigned.

The school patrons, the Archbishop of Armagh, appointed a single manager as a replacement.

When contacted by RTÉ News neither the Chair of the former Board of Management, nor the current manager, nor the school principal wished to comment.

In a statement to RTÉ News the Department of Education said it was continuing to engage with the school on matters raised in its inspection report.

The archdiocese said in a statement to RTÉ News that the appointment of a single manager was undertaken with the approval of the Minister for Education and following the legal dissolution of the Board of Management.

The statement went on to say that the patron had emphasised repeatedly the necessity of everyone operating within agreed procedures if progress was to be made in resolving the concerns that had arisen.

Failure to follow agreed procedures would not, it said, facilitate the outcome to which all aspired - which was a happy and thriving school.

Parents have said they feel they have no choice but to remove their children from the school. They have urged the Department and the school patron to resolve the problems as a matter of urgency.