First Active School Flag Awarded Under New Post-Primary Programme

Minister for Education and Youth Hildegarde Naughton, Minister of State for Public Health, Wellbeing & the National Drugs Strategy Jennifer Murnane O’Connor and local Minister for Disability Emer Higgins have today welcomed the awarding of the first flag under the Active School Flag post-primary programme to Coláiste Bríde, Clondalkin.

The Active School Flag (ASF) Programme is a leading example of cross-sector collaboration in action, supporting the national ambition of ‘More Schools, More Active, More Often’. The initiative promotes physical activity as part of every day school life and aligns with key priorities across education, health and sport policy.

The Active School Flag is awarded to schools that demonstrate a strong commitment to building physically educated and physically active school communities. The programme places a strong emphasis on participation, inclusion and fun.

The new post-primary programme introduces an innovative, student-led approach to addressing youth physical inactivity with student voice and leadership at its core.

Formally launched just last November following a successful pilot involving 42 secondary schools, the Active School Flag Post-Primary Programme marks a significant milestone in the evolution of the ASF initiative, which has operated successfully at primary schools for more than 15 years.

This expansion of the programme delivers on a commitment in the 2025 Programme for Government to strengthen supports that promote physical activity and wellbeing across school communities.

Coláiste Bríde, Clondalkin, has been involved in the pilot phase since the programme’s inception and is now the first post-primary school in Ireland to be awarded the Active School Flag.

Speaking from the celebration in Clondalkin, Minister for Education and Youth, Hildegarde Naughton said:

Minister of State for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy Jennifer Murnane O’Connor welcomed the award of the flag:

Local Minister Emer Higgins, who has special responsibility for disability, said:

Active School Flag (ASF) is an initiative of the Department of Education and Youth, supported by Healthy Ireland and administered through Mayo Education Centre. The aim of the programme is to get ‘more schools, more active, more often’.

The process encourages schools to promote physical activity, using a whole-of-school approach that prioritises participation, inclusion and fun, integrating student voice and student leadership. It also supports schools to find ways to integrate physical activity with teaching and learning, through movement breaks, walkway activities and active classroom routines.

The Active School Flag (ASF) accreditation process recognises schools that demonstrate their commitment to achieving a physically educated and physical active school community.

The Active School Flag Post-Primary Programme was formally launched on 5 November last, based on a pilot project with 42 secondary schools. An application process for up to 50 new schools opened in December 2025 and work is underway to roll-out the programme to these schools in the 2026-2027 school year.

Website https://activeschoolflag.ie/ (Home Page)

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Healthy Ireland is a major government-led initiative which aims to create an Irish society where everyone can enjoy physical and mental health, and where wellbeing is valued and supported at every level of society. Under Healthy Ireland, the National Physical Activity Plan (NPAP) is led by the Departments of Health and of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, in partnership with a range of other key stakeholders including the Department of Education. Encouraging more schools to participate in the Active School Flag is a key objective of the plan.

“Every Move Counts”, the National Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines for Ireland, provide detailed information for a range of population cohorts, and can be found at https://www.gov.ie/en/healthy-ireland/publications/every-move-counts-national-physical-activity-and-sedentary-behaviour-guidelines-for-ireland/. The Guidelines were published in 2024, and expanded to include guidance for pregnant and post-partum women, and people living with chronic conditions, in June 2025