Children as young as five are risking their lives each time they want to play during break-times at their local national school in Co Meath because of cutbacks by the Department of Education in the school-building programme, according to parents.
St Colmcille's National School in Skryne is on a road linking the major N2 and N3 national routes and is used as a "rat run" between the two roads.
Concerns about the children's safety are increasing because diversions are about to be put in place in Dunshaughlin on the main Dublin-Navan road and fears are that the road will be used by even more traffic, particularly heavy goods vehicles.
The 100 pupils and seven staff moved out of the original school building and into prefabs across the road so that work could start on the reconstruction of the school, built in the late 1950s.
However, their playground is beside the school, and they must cross the road for their two breaks and when they are being collected from and dropped to school
The quandary has also left the school with extra expense because it must have insurance for the playground and also had to tarmac the area around the prefabs.
The old school had health and safety problems, and the board of management already has the plans drawn up for a new school with six classrooms, a staff room, general purpose and gym area as well as a library and administration centre.
The total cost was estimated at €1.5 million.
"In these prefabs we are really worse off than we were in the four classrooms where the children were crammed into desks and the teachers could not properly move around them," said the principal, Mr Martin Kennedy.
Four times a day his staff put on reflective jackets and escort the children across the road, aware that any motorist not respecting the speed limit could cause a serious accident.
A spokeswoman for the parents' association said that safety measures needed to be put in place before a child was knocked down.
"We believe this is a major road just like the N2 and N3.
"We believe that flashing amber lights should be put on the approaches to the school and that we should get a lollipop lady," she added.
A spokesman for Meath County Council said finance to provide the flashing lights would be considered in the forthcoming estimates.