Our Yellow Flag Renewal Journey
St. Joseph’s N.S. is and always has been dedicated to fostering a school environment where every individual feels valued, respected, and empowered. We believe that diversity enriches our school community, and by embracing inclusivity, we create a stronger, more united school culture. Through open dialogue, education, and initiatives like the Yellow Flag Programme, we encourage kindness, understanding, and active participation in building a respectful and welcoming atmosphere.
Over the 2024–2025 academic year, we have carried out our ‘Yellow Flag’ renewal process, working step-by-step through the eight‐step framework.
Our Overarching goals for our Action Plan were reflected in the following key commitments:
Continue to create a positive school culture and climate
Which is welcoming of difference and diversity and is based on inclusivity. That encourages pupils to disclose and discuss incidents of racist behaviour in a non-threatening environment; and promotes respectful relationships across the school community
Continue to foster an Inclusive Environment:
We aim to create a safe, welcoming, and nurturing space where all students and staff feel valued and empowered to express their cultural identity. Every member of our community should feel a strong sense of belonging.
Celebrate Diversity as Strength:
We believe that our diversity is a source of strength. Through active learning about each other’s cultures, traditions, and experiences, we aim to cultivate empathy and understanding. Our curriculum will reflect the varied experiences of all cultures and recognize the valuable contributions of different groups.
Empower Voices of All Students: Our goal is to empower every student to take pride in their heritage and contribute actively to building an inclusive school culture. We encourage student leadership in promoting cultural awareness, respect, and equality within the school.
Our Yellow Flag team consisted of Mr Molloy, Mr Baxter and Ms Woods.
In September, newly re-energised Diversity Committees—comprising of a ‘Senior Diversity Committee’ and a ‘Junior Diversity Committee’, staff, and community representatives—met to establish roles, draft a new Action Plan as a roadmap for the coming year, and update our Anti‐Racism Policy.
By autumn, Intercultural Awareness Training for staff was provided during Croke Park hours to equip teachers with the knowledge and skills to support an inclusive learning environment (November 2024, Mdahyelya Bassi, YF Coordinator). Ms Roz and the Yellow Flag Team encouraged student participation in diversity-related initiatives and ensured that every class learned the Diversity Code—“St Joseph’s is a welcoming place; we work, we play, we get along; every religion, culture, and race; we are all one family; we all belong”—resulting in increased student engagement in diversity and anti-racism education.
The Face-to-Face stairwell mural project proceeded, designed by Mr. Molloy with parents selected by Ms Thomas contributing to the painting process. This project brought together students, parents, and staff to create a bright, collaborative display that reflected the rich cultural backgrounds of everyone in our school community. Upon completion, the mural served as a vibrant symbol of diversity and inclusion, fostering pride and a strong sense of belonging among pupils, families, and staff.
Both Senior and Junior Infants contributed to a recycled “Unique Flower Display” at the main entrance, a vibrant mural of flowers, illustrating individuality and sustainability and growth. It highlights the importance of working together to create something meaningful while celebrating the unique contributions of every individual.
Oral language lessons designed by Mr Baxter introduced a cultural exchange component. Students learned to say “hello” in their classmates’ languages, practised pronunciation, and discussed language origins during morning greetings or dedicated sessions. Additionally, an EAL video produced by Mr Baxter highlighted linguistic diversity by featuring pupils from each English-as-an-Additional-Language background saying phrases about school life, such as “Our school is inclusive” and “Our school is welcoming,” and naming familiar items or answering the office phone in their native tongues.
By spring, children from our student council and our Diversity committees designed a ‘Be Kind’ poster—created by children for children—to promote anti-racism, anti-bullying and inclusion. Which will be seen throughout our school.
All teachers throughout the school played a vital role in teaching specific class projects that reinforced Yellow Flag objectives: Senior Infants created “I Am Unique” self-portraits using mirrors; 2nd Class researched China and Ghana; 3rd Class studied child labour; 4th Class explored Ogham writing; 5th Class produced children’s-rights acrostic poems and anti-racism posters; and 6th Class examined Fairtrade.
Performances—such as Fear Draíochta Oz (an Irish-language Wizard of Oz adaptation)—demonstrated how language, music, and drama can promote cultural appreciation and unity;
This unique performance celebrated both the Irish language and the rich cultural diversity of our students. Children from many different ethnic and religious backgrounds worked as a team to put on a fantastic show that highlighted inclusion, creativity, and collaboration.
The project was led by Ms. Roz, and Mr Nelson with the play written by Mr Nelson. Mr. McKevitt and Ms. Manning composed original music for the show, and students used a variety of musical instruments during the performance. The stage design was created by Mr. Molloy, and the beautiful flower masks were made with the help of Ms. Brady. Costume design and makeup were led by Penny Morris and Ms. Thomas, helping to bring each character to life.
6th Class won the All-Ireland title for this production.
Playground initiatives, like training senior pupils as Bí Cineálta helpers, supported positive peer interactions and conflict resolution. Ms Kennedy led a group of children who attended a national rally celebrating children’s rights in Dublin. Mr O’Connell’s Class attended the Dundalk Traveller Pride event at the Redeemer Family Resource Centre. The purpose of the visit was to deepen pupils’ understanding of Traveller culture and heritage as part of our intercultural education programme.
Furthermore, throughout the year, sport is just one of the ways we celebrate diversity. Whether it’s Gaelic football, soccer, basketball, or athletics, there is something for everyone. Through sport, we learn to listen, to lead, to care for one another and to have fun along the way! This commitment to inclusion through sport is also part of our work with the Yellow Flag Programme, helping us create a school where all children feel welcome and valued.
The recent parent survey conducted at St. Joseph’s showed strong support for the school’s inclusive and welcoming ethos, in line with the goals of the Yellow Flag Programme. In response to the statement “My child learns about and respects lots of other children’s countries/culture/festivals/languages in St. Joseph’s,” 95.5% of parents agreed, reflecting the school’s success in promoting intercultural awareness, respect, and diversity through classroom learning, oral language lessons, school-wide celebrations, and visual displays. Likewise, 95.5% of parents agreed with “The school is very approachable and welcoming to me and my family,” highlighting the strong relationships built between the school and its wider community, and confirming the impact of initiatives such as Home School Community Liaison work, open communication channels, and the culture of inclusion fostered throughout the school. These results indicated that the school’s efforts to promote respect, equity, and belonging had made a meaningful impact on both students and their families, and affirmed the value of ongoing Yellow Flag initiatives, including student-led projects, diversity celebration events, and collaborative policy development.
As part of the ongoing development of the school’s Anti-Racism Policy, Mr. Molloy met with Student Council led by Ms Kennedy, and both diversity committees to discuss its importance, objectives, and how students could contribute to shaping the policy. These meetings throughout the year provided a valuable opportunity for students to voice their thoughts, share experiences, and offer suggestions to ensure the policy truly reflected the needs and values of the school community.
In June Our final Anti-Racism Policy draft was reviewed and updated to include clear reporting procedures in line with Bí Cineálta. With all eight steps addressed ranging from policy development and staff CPD to student leadership and community engagement Mr Molloy and the yellow flag team sought final ratification of the Anti-Racism Policy by its Board of Management. Our St Jospeh’s N.S Anti Racism Policy was ratified on 5th of June 2025.
The completed renewal process reflects a school where every language, culture, and tradition is represented in policy, curriculum, and communal activities, ensuring that all students and families feel acknowledged and included.
