Practices that promote comprehensive school safety

Abstract

Educational institutions must be safe and secure spaces for students, teachers and non-teaching staff. It is necessary to manage the safety and security properly in order to prevent accidents and incidents, creating an environment in which physical, emotional and social well-being is promoted. The aim of this study is to identify and analyse actions that promote comprehensive school safety in educational institutions of Catalonia (Spain). From a qualitative perspective, we carried out a multiple case study, with a sample of 9 educational institutions. The outcomes show that educational institutions develop various activities in order to promote school safety, but many of them are performed only because they are required by regulations, without any sensitivity and real commitment to their need or importance. For an adequate management of comprehensive school safety, it is necessary to mainstream safety management processes in all areas of school management, involving all stakeholders of the educational community.