The first step to taking part in the Green-Schools programme for the first time is to register with us using the form below. Following this you will be sent all the information you need to begin working on the first theme: Litter & Waste. Registration can take place at any time of year.
Register to Green-Schools here: Green-Schools First Flag Registration Form
Once registered, all new schools start the Green-Schools programme with the Litter & Waste theme. Each theme takes two years to complete, following the 7 steps as laid out in your Theme Handbook and in the second year submitting an application form followed by an assessment visit from your Local Authority’s Environmental Awareness Officer (EAO).
The deadline for all Litter & Waste schools to submit the application is Wednesday the 2nd December 2026. All assessment visits will then take place before the end of March deadline.
*If you’re not sure if your school was ever registered to Green-Schools before, fill out the registration form and the Green-Schools team will let you know.
After achieving the first Green Flag for your school, schools are automatically assigned to the next theme and renew the Green Flag every two years. This involves following the 7 steps over two years and in your second year, having a renewal visit with your Local Authority’s Environmental Awareness Officer (EAO) or Green-Schools team and then submitting an application form for the theme you’ve been working on, both must be completed by the deadline for this school year 2026/2027 of Friday 19th March 2027.
The deadline for all Litter & Waste schools to submit the application is Wednesday the 2nd December 2026.
You can find the application forms for all themes on the Submit.com applications portal here: Greenflag
A renewal visit takes places during the second year you are working on each theme. The visit is completed before you submit your application form and Renewal visits are carried out either by your Local Authority Environment Awareness Officer (EAO) or by Green-Schools staff. The purpose of the visit is so Green-Schools can see you have an active Green-Schools programme in operation and that you have been maintaining previous themes as well as working on your current theme. You do not need to have completed every step before the renewal visit, however this will need to be achieved prior to submitting your application. During the visit your Green-Schools committee will have the opportunity to show the assessor documentation such as newsletters, posters, photos, videos etc of your work and achievements over the past two years. To arrange your renewal visit please contact your local authority’s Environment Awareness Officer or Green-Schools.
Green-Schools’ mission is to protect planet Earth – our shared home to which we all belong – and we want everyone involved! We warmly welcome participants of all backgrounds, cultures, races and ethnicities, religions and belief systems, abilities, sexual orientations and gender identities.
Once a renewal visit is completed and your application form has been submitted, the Green-Schools team reviews the applications and generally by mid-April successful schools are invited to the Green Flag Awards Ceremonies that take place during May across the country. Student performances are a special part of each ceremony but are limited to each venue’s capacity, so if your school is interested in performing at the Green Flag Awards please let your assessor know during your renewal visit and they can recommend your performance to the Green-Schools events team who will confirm what’s possible. In June the Green Flag will then be posted out to any schools who could not attend the Awards. Schools are then automatically assigned to the next theme and will receive all information by email about how to get started on the next theme the following September.
Environmental Education Unit, 5 Foster Place, Dublin 2, D02V0P9.
01 400 2222
info@greenschoolsireland.org
