WEBVTT 00:00:00.065 --> 00:00:02.565 So the most positive part for us was the twinning 00:00:02.595 --> 00:00:05.336 and the friendship that was created with our neighbouring school, 00:00:05.395 --> 00:00:06.965 which is Kinsale Community School. 00:00:07.105 --> 00:00:09.125 We visit each other, they host us for a party. 00:00:09.255 --> 00:00:10.285 We've been back and forth. 00:00:10.505 --> 00:00:14.807 And it gives our students an opportunity to meet other students like themselves 00:00:14.945 --> 00:00:16.475 in the West Cork area. 00:00:16.665 --> 00:00:20.195 And heading off on a bus is like their opportunity to go 00:00:20.245 --> 00:00:23.205 to a match and to meet other people in their area, 00:00:23.255 --> 00:00:25.565 make friendships, swap Snapchat, whatever. 00:00:25.625 --> 00:00:27.685 So the impact is on the whole school community. 00:00:27.755 --> 00:00:31.165 It's not just LGBTQ+ students, their friends and allies. 00:00:31.425 --> 00:00:35.735 It is the impact it has on all staff, all students and the wider community. 00:00:35.810 --> 00:00:38.780 So I think you need to involve parents and local organisations 00:00:38.845 --> 00:00:40.845 that have embraced what we're trying to do. 00:01:07.455 --> 00:01:09.035 We got involved in the Quality Mark 00:01:09.075 --> 00:01:11.155 because we have a good few students in our school 00:01:11.205 --> 00:01:13.494 who belong in the LGBTQ+ community. 00:01:25.365 --> 00:01:28.714 We've also seen a massive thing with people come into our schools 00:01:28.795 --> 00:01:31.155 just because we are part of the Quality Mark schools, 00:01:31.375 --> 00:01:32.818 it's just brilliant to see. 00:01:32.905 --> 00:01:34.955 I would really recommend the Quality Mark to other schools 00:01:35.015 --> 00:01:37.335 because it's just a huge impact on the school. 00:01:37.505 --> 00:01:39.315 Even if it just affects one student, 00:01:39.695 --> 00:01:42.065 to see that one person being impacted has been 00:01:42.115 --> 00:01:43.385 a huge difference to our school. 00:01:48.755 --> 00:01:50.175 We got involved with the Quality Mark 00:01:50.245 --> 00:01:53.158 because we felt it gave us the opportunity to 00:01:53.285 --> 00:01:55.785 more fully embed the work we were doing already 00:01:55.875 --> 00:01:59.633 to support the LGBTQ+ young people in our community. 00:01:59.795 --> 00:02:03.085 We really liked that the framework was so cohesive 00:02:03.395 --> 00:02:05.895 and had the four areas, the culture, curriculum, 00:02:05.955 --> 00:02:07.505 policy, and partnership, 00:02:07.715 --> 00:02:09.535 so it meant that we could take a broad approach 00:02:09.635 --> 00:02:12.155 to embedding real lasting change in our school. 00:02:16.835 --> 00:02:20.655 The most positive part of being involved is seeing the whole school community 00:02:20.734 --> 00:02:24.615 band together to make our school a more welcoming and inclusive place. 00:02:24.755 --> 00:02:28.455 We always really prided ourselves on making the school as warm 00:02:28.525 --> 00:02:30.025 and open and friendly as possible. 00:02:30.155 --> 00:02:32.765 And this was just another way of adding to that. 00:02:32.845 --> 00:02:34.055 It's also been great to see 00:02:34.485 --> 00:02:37.095 students see themselves recognised in the school 00:02:37.395 --> 00:02:40.335 and the confidence and the enthusiasm that's come from that. 00:02:40.715 --> 00:02:45.356 And even the staff have become more open and willing to communicate. 00:02:45.575 --> 00:02:48.095 I would recommend the Quality Mark to another school 00:02:48.175 --> 00:02:51.625 because I suppose it can be a really daunting process 00:02:51.686 --> 00:02:52.975 trying to figure out how 00:02:53.015 --> 00:02:55.655 to make meaningful change in your school community. 00:03:17.459 --> 00:03:21.306 There have been so many positive parts of being involved in this programme. 00:03:21.425 --> 00:03:24.300 It's made us very intentional in what we've wanted to do. 00:03:24.505 --> 00:03:26.475 It's made us pause and step back 00:03:26.575 --> 00:03:29.375 and consider the school at lots of different levels, 00:03:29.476 --> 00:03:30.846 whether that's a policy level, 00:03:30.905 --> 00:03:33.355 but most importantly it's at the lived experience 00:03:33.421 --> 00:03:34.621 that our students are having 00:03:34.855 --> 00:03:36.785 and that's all students in the school, 00:03:36.995 --> 00:03:38.325 regardless of their identity. 00:03:38.525 --> 00:03:40.435 We've looked at things like staff training. 00:03:40.605 --> 00:03:43.103 We've looked at our curriculum and representation 00:03:43.295 --> 00:03:44.995 and like I say, we've looked at our policy. 00:03:45.135 --> 00:03:47.727 So it's been a bottom-up and top-down approach 00:03:47.845 --> 00:03:50.305 and our hope is that the impact of this 00:03:50.335 --> 00:03:54.155 for everybody in the school is real, tangible, measurable. 00:04:16.555 --> 00:04:18.615 So I would strongly recommend the Quality Mark programme 00:04:18.675 --> 00:04:21.895 to other schools because as educators, 00:04:21.964 --> 00:04:25.915 the onus is on us to ensure that young people feel safe 00:04:26.015 --> 00:04:29.285 and respected and represented in their education. 00:04:29.635 --> 00:04:32.815 And you know, this programme has been such an amazing way 00:04:32.885 --> 00:04:37.465 for our school to combat, you know, bullying and exclusion 00:04:37.635 --> 00:04:40.736 and just to really promote inclusion and diversity in the school community.