Athlone Community College receives prestigious Irish Heart Foundation award

Athlone Community College has been recognised with a prestigious Irish Heart Foundation award for training their students in the lifesaving skill of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

The secondary school received a CPR 4 award, which recognises schools, teachers and students for remarkable efforts in CPR promotion and training.

Athlone Community College was among 33 schools across Ireland presented with 63 awards as part of the national heart and stroke charity’s CPR 4 Schools programme.

Ninety-per-cent of secondary schools have engaged in the programme since its inception, with 2,630 teachers involved across 649 schools to deliver CPR training, giving the programme a reach of over 350,000 students nationwide.

The charity is now calling on all schools to sign up to help build a new generation of lifesavers.

The programme trains students to perform CPR and respond in a cardiac emergency, use an AED (defibrillator) and respond when someone is choking.

Easy to run, it involves one-hour, video-led lessons, fully supported with manikin kits and classroom resources.

Schools benefit by awards recognising their participation and positive student engagement, while families and entire communities gain by having young people emerge as confident lifesavers.

“The CPR 4 Schools programme has been an integral part of our Transition Year curriculum for over a decade.

“Each year, all Transition Year students are given the opportunity to complete training in compression-only CPR, earning their official CPR certificate.

“Over the years, hundreds of our students have been trained, not only gaining critical knowledge but also building the confidence to respond effectively in emergency situations.

“We have found the programme to be highly accessible for both staff and students, and it continues to generate strong levels of engagement and enthusiasm across the year group.

“We are honoured to receive this national recognition and remain committed to empowering our students with skills that can save lives—today, tomorrow, and into the future," said Niamh Vrain, Athlone Community College teacher.

A person’s chance of survival is doubled when CPR is started immediately.

By learning CPR once in your life, you are 10 times more likely to respond to an emergency than someone who has never received training.

Post-primary school teachers interested in signing up for the free programme can register by emailing: schools@irishheart.ie.