Why school safety should be top priority

A safe school is essential. For pupils and for colleagues. It forms the basis for good education and a healthy working atmosphere. When people feel safe, they dare to be themselves, take responsibility and address each other.

Safety goes beyond preventing incidents. “It is also about social aspects,” explains educationist Lotte Benard. “Can you voice your opinion? Do you feel heard? How do colleagues treat each other? Do you feel safe?” It is precisely this perceived safety that is often underestimated. “Bullying, gossiping or exclusion do not only occur among pupils, but also among staff members,” Benard stresses. In the longer term, insecurity can have major consequences. “If someone feels unsafe and unheard, they will eventually call in sick or leave.”

DUO-Onderwijs's benchmark results in primary and secondary education show that schools seem to score well on average for social safety, “But with safety in particular, averages and ‘majorities’ are no comfort: any significant minority indicates a structural risk,” says Benard. “In an employee survey, you can still think in some areas: a six is enough. With safety, you can't. If five per cent feel unsafe, you have work to do. You have to aim for a ten.” Want to know more? You can read the whole article here.

As a school leader, you might think: safety? That's fine with us. But when was the last time you really measured how your team feels? Taking safety seriously starts with knowing what is going on. With our new thematic surveys, you can accurately map out what is going on at your school. Important, because employees do not always go to their managers, especially not in case of social insecurity. A survey does make these signals visible.

Thus, our research makes safety perception transparent employee safety, exactly as is likely to be required under the Free and Safe Education Act from 2026. With this new law, schools will soon have to be able to demonstrate every year that they pay attention to the welfare of employees and include it in their safety policies and their evaluation.

Our questionnaires comply with legislation and provide exactly the information needed for that annual evaluation. You get clear reports that you can immediately use for policy, accountability and discussion with the MR

In addition, the study offers psychosocial workload (PSA) valuable insights. Themes such as work pressure, bullying, aggression and (sexual) harassment come into clear focus. It shows where possible risks lie and which groups are affected. The study is not a complete RI&E, but it does give substance to the mandatory PSA component. The results thus provide concrete input for the RI&E and the associated action plan.

Want to know which approach is best for your school? We are happy to think along with you.