Pupils at a Co Cork primary school turned down for Government funding often have to stay indoors during lunchtime on windy days because they could be injured by falling slates.
Principal of Ringaskiddy National School, Ms Mary McAleese, said she also spends much of her time monitoring the yard for rats - when one is spotted the children all have to return to their classrooms.
"We have a major rat problem. We have had rats come in to the hall. I am always telling the children to make sure the doors are closed because of them. I can only imagine what pupils' mothers think when their boys and girls come home and say the school has rats. It is very upsetting not to get the funding. We don't know what to do."
The school is 105 years old and houses more than 90 pupils and eight teachers. The building has no staff toilet which means the two male teachers must use the pupils' toilets.
Ms McAleese says it is unacceptable to have male teachers using toilets which are also being used by young girls.
"You really shouldn't have the male teachers using toilets used by young girls. It just isn't fair on them. It wasn't a big issue years ago but it is now. We have only four toilets in the whole school. I kept thinking the situation would change when we would get the new school but that is not going to happen now."
An initial application for an extension at the school was lodged in 1998. However, the principal was told it wasn't suitable for work and would have to be replaced by a new building.
The school has no running hot water and lacks basic staff-room or secretarial facilities. It has three classrooms and two prefabs, all of which are damp and cramped.Three de-humidifiers are constantly on and the board of management paints classrooms regularly to hide the damp patches on the walls.
Ms McAleese said the school's eight teachers have put in the extra effort to ensure children receive a quality education. However, she said staff and pupils shouldn't have to work in facilities from the Dark Ages.