Assessment of integral safety in schools: EDURISC self-assessment questionnaire (Q-EDURISC)

Schools are, in general, safe spaces for every student, teacher and other professional. However, some problems related to the maintenance of school building and installations, as well as other threats related to cases of vandalism and bullying, can occur during academic activity. Safety must be part of the regular process of management, establishing tasks and roles and promoting the development of prevention plans, with the objective of guaranteeing protection for all people who regularly attend schools. Success in safety management lies in knowing what takes place in a school, being conscious of the risks that can affect students, teachers and other professionals who study and work there. Assessments are the first step in identifying risks and analysing the physical and psychosocial environment as well as determining the resources that a school has available, to what degree it complies with regulations and the efficacy of the actions being taken. This chapter presents a strategy for assessing the level of integral safety (Nivel de Seguridad Integral: NiSI) of schools: the EDURISC Self-Assessment Questionnaire (Q-EDURISC). This tool analyses thirty six areas of safety, including questions related to the physical environment (building, installations, playgrounds and surroundings), social environment (quality of relationships), preparation for emergency situations and other important areas to every educational institutions. Furthermore, the main results of the application of Q-EDURISC to a sample of more than 250 Spanish schools are presented, offering some advice for schools to apply in order to improve their level of safety.