Ministers McEntee and Murnane O’Connor launch the Active School Flag Post Primary Programme to promote physical activity and health among school communities
- Published on: 5 November 2025
- Last updated on: 5 November 2025
Minister for Education and Youth Helen McEntee and Minister of State at the Department of Health with special responsibility for Public Health, Well Being and the National Drugs Strategy Jennifer Murnane O’Connor have today (Wednesday) officially launched the Active School Flag Post Primary Programme (ASFPP) at a special event hosted by sports broadcaster Jacqui Hurley at Farmleigh.
The launch marks a milestone moment in the progression of the Active School Flag initiative, which has been running successfully at primary school level for over 15 years. It reflects a commitment made in the 2025 Programme for Government to expand the initiative to promote physical activity and health among school communities.
The Active School Flag (ASF) Programme is designed to complement the existing Physical Education (PE) curriculum in schools and to get ‘More Schools. More Active. More Often.” The flag is awarded to schools which demonstrate their commitment to achieving a physically educated and physically active school community.
Students from St. Joseph’s School, Rochfortbridge, Westmeath, Coláiste Bríde, Clondalkin, Drimnagh CBS, Dublin and Tullow Community School, Carlow, were central to today’s launch event and shared their insights and experiences of how they benefited from taking part in the programme’s pilot to date.
Minister McEntee said:
“The Department of Education and Youth has long championed the importance of physical activity in our schools not only for supporting students’ health and wellbeing, but also for the many benefits and opportunities it presents for successful teaching and learning.
“We have seen the great results that have been achieved by primary schools and I have no doubt we’ll see the same in our post-primary schools. This presents a fantastic opportunity for whole school communities to come together and ensure students and staff have multiple opportunities to be active throughout the school day.
“I would like to thank the Active School team, pilot post-primary schools, researchers from the University of Limerick and all of those who have been involved in co-designing the programme for post-primary level. Their insights and expertise have led us to this milestone.”
Minister of State Murnane O’Connor said:
“The Active School Flag initiative has been a hugely successful example of effective collaboration across sectors. We’ve had over 2,800 primary schools participate in the programme since its launch in 2009, and extending into post-primary settings is a very significant next step. This expansion will build on the physical activity habits that our children have developed and will help to create lifelong routines that will improve the health of our population.
“Delivering an Active Schools programme in post-primary settings is an exciting challenge, and I am keen to see how it develops as we expand the initiative from next September onwards. The role of the student voice will be vital, as it has been in primary settings, and I very much look forward to further collaboration across our departments as we continue to champion this initiative.”
Schools interested in finding out more – or enquiring about taking part in the programme – should visit www.activeschoolflag.ie or email postprimarysupport@activeschoolflag.ie.
Notes to editors
About the Active School Flag programme
The programme was established in 2010 by the Department of Education, and since 2017 has been jointly supported by the Department of Health, through the Healthy Ireland initiative. It is designed to complement the existing Physical Education (PE) curriculum in primary schools.
The Active School Flag (ASF) is awarded to schools that demonstrate their commitment to achieve a physically educated and physically active school community. It employs a whole of school approach ensuring students and staff have multiple opportunities to be physically active during the school day including movement breaks, physical activity challenges, breaktime initiatives and learning on the move activities. ASF also provides opportunities for students to develop leadership skills and promotes peer-to-peer learning.
Recognising the impacts of the ASF programme to date, the Departments of Education and Youth and Health have sought to scale up the programme at primary level and expand into the post-primary setting. This ambition is also reflected in the current 2025 Programme for Government which lays out a commitment to support and expand ASF. One of the key principles of the programme is that it is anchored by student voice and that ensures the programme remains dynamic, responsive, and relevant to young people today. Through a timetabled class in Transition Year, leadership opportunities, and school-wide events like Active School Week, the initiative encourages young people to take ownership of their own wellbeing and their school’s activity culture. Activities are designed to promote participation, inclusion and fun, supporting schools to become enabling environments for physical activity for both students and staff.
In addition to the accreditation process that awards flags to schools that meet the ASF criteria, the Active School programme promotes three major national physical activity participation events every year, open to all schools. You can view the 2025/26 events here: https://activeschoolflag.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/20250527-ASF-Calendars-D-Participation-Initiatives.pdf.
During term 1,800 primary and special schools participated in the Active School ‘Skip Around the World’ challenge. Teachers and their classes were asked to commit to a 10-minute skipping break, every day, across 3 weeks. Every skip completed by students earned their class 1 km, allowing them to travel to, and learn about, some of the world’s most famous destinations. Participating schools were supported by a wide range of resources including skipping equipment, tutorial videos and ready-made challenge resources, available in Irish and English. You can find out more here https://activeschoolflag.ie/skip-around-the-world-challenge/ .
How can schools sign up to take part?
50 post-primary schools will be invited to join the Active School Flag Post-Primary process commencing in September 2026. Webinars explaining the process will take place on 2 and 3 December. Attendance by school leaders, TY coordinators and interested school staff members is strongly recommended. For further information, visit www.activeschoolflag.ie or email postprimarysupport@activeschoolflag.ie.