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So the most positive part
for us was the twinning

2
00:00:02,595 --> 00:00:05,336
and the friendship that was created
with our neighbouring school,

3
00:00:05,395 --> 00:00:06,965
which is Kinsale Community School.

4
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We visit each other,
they host us for a party.

5
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We've been back and forth.

6
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And it gives our students an opportunity
to meet other students like themselves

7
00:00:14,945 --> 00:00:16,475
in the West Cork area.

8
00:00:16,665 --> 00:00:20,195
And heading off on a bus is
like their opportunity to go

9
00:00:20,245 --> 00:00:23,205
to a match and to meet
other people in their area,

10
00:00:23,255 --> 00:00:25,565
make friendships,
swap Snapchat, whatever.

11
00:00:25,625 --> 00:00:27,685
So the impact is on the
whole school community.

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00:00:27,755 --> 00:00:31,165
It's not just LGBTQ+ students,
their friends and allies.

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00:00:31,425 --> 00:00:35,735
It is the impact it has on all staff,
all students and the wider community.

14
00:00:35,810 --> 00:00:38,780
So I think you need to involve
parents and local organisations

15
00:00:38,845 --> 00:00:40,845
that have embraced
what we're trying to do.

16
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We got involved in the Quality Mark

17
00:01:09,075 --> 00:01:11,155
because we have a good
few students in our school

18
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who belong in the LGBTQ+ community.

19
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We've also seen a massive thing
with people come into our schools

20
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just because we are part of
the Quality Mark schools,

21
00:01:31,375 --> 00:01:32,818
it's just brilliant to see.

22
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I would really recommend the
Quality Mark to other schools

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because it's just a huge
impact on the school.

24
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Even if it just affects one student,

25
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to see that one person
being impacted has been

26
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a huge difference to our school.

27
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We got involved with the Quality Mark

28
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because we felt it
gave us the opportunity to

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more fully embed the
work we were doing already

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to support the LGBTQ+
young people in our community.

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We really liked that the
framework was so cohesive

32
00:02:03,395 --> 00:02:05,895
and had the four areas,
the culture, curriculum,

33
00:02:05,955 --> 00:02:07,505
policy, and partnership,

34
00:02:07,715 --> 00:02:09,535
so it meant that we
could take a broad approach

35
00:02:09,635 --> 00:02:12,155
to embedding real lasting
change in our school.

36
00:02:16,835 --> 00:02:20,655
The most positive part of being involved
is seeing the whole school community

37
00:02:20,734 --> 00:02:24,615
band together to make our school
a more welcoming and inclusive place.

38
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We always really prided ourselves
on making the school as warm

39
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and open and friendly as possible.

40
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And this was just
another way of adding to that.

41
00:02:32,845 --> 00:02:34,055
It's also been great to see

42
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students see themselves
recognised in the school

43
00:02:37,395 --> 00:02:40,335
and the confidence and the
enthusiasm that's come from that.

44
00:02:40,715 --> 00:02:45,356
And even the staff have become more
open and willing to communicate.

45
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I would recommend the 
Quality Mark to another school

46
00:02:48,175 --> 00:02:51,625
because I suppose it can
be a really daunting process

47
00:02:51,686 --> 00:02:52,975
trying to figure out how

48
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to make meaningful change
in your school community.

49
00:03:17,459 --> 00:03:21,306
There have been so many positive parts
of being involved in this programme.

50
00:03:21,425 --> 00:03:24,300
It's made us very intentional
in what we've wanted to do.

51
00:03:24,505 --> 00:03:26,475
It's made us pause and step back

52
00:03:26,575 --> 00:03:29,375
and consider the school
at lots of different levels,

53
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whether that's a policy level,

54
00:03:30,905 --> 00:03:33,355
but most importantly
it's at the lived experience

55
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that our students are having

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and that's all students in the school,

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regardless of their identity.

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We've looked at
things like staff training.

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We've looked at our
curriculum and representation

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and like I say,
we've looked at our policy.

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So it's been a bottom-up
and top-down approach

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and our hope is that the impact of this

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for everybody in the school
is real, tangible, measurable.

64
00:04:16,555 --> 00:04:18,615
So I would strongly recommend
the Quality Mark programme

65
00:04:18,675 --> 00:04:21,895
to other schools because as educators,

66
00:04:21,964 --> 00:04:25,915
the onus is on us to ensure
that young people feel safe

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and respected and
represented in their education.

68
00:04:29,635 --> 00:04:32,815
And you know, this programme
has been such an amazing way

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00:04:32,885 --> 00:04:37,465
for our school to combat,
you know, bullying and exclusion

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and just to really promote inclusion
and diversity in the school community.