Schools Must Be Safe
A national campaign led by NASPM
Every child deserves to learn in an environment where safety is taken seriously, not assumed, not deferred, not left to chance.
Schools Must Be Safe is a national campaign led by NASPM to raise the profile of school safety and place it where it belongs, as a strategic priority for leadership, governance and the wider education system.
Why this matters now
Every person has the basic right to come into school and go home safely, it is the core standard to provide a ‘safe place a safe school’ so far as is reasonably practicable. Schools are expected to show not only that they care about safety, but that they can evidence it. That they understand their risks. That they have taken reasonable, proportionate steps. That they are prepared. For many schools, this comes at a time when responsibilities are already high and capacity is stretched. Too often, those carrying the weight of safety do so quietly, with limited recognition and limited support.
This campaign exists because that cannot continue.
This campaign is about changing the conversation. From reactive to prepared. From uncertainty to confidence. From isolated responsibility to collective accountability.
What Schools Must Be Safe stands for
Schools Must Be Safe stands for:
- Safety being treated as fundamental, not optional
- Premises and safety professionals being recognised, supported and heard
- Schools having access to clear, credible guidance rather than fragmented advice
- Proportionate action that is realistic for real school environments
- A national conversation that reflects the seriousness of the issue
It is about raising the standard, not raising anxiety.
NASPM’s role
NASPM exists to represent and support the professionals responsible for school environments across the UK.
Through this campaign, we are strengthening that role by:
- Providing leadership on school safety nationally
- Giving schools a trusted voice in a complex landscape
- Offering practical routes forward where expectations are increasing
- Advocating for realistic, proportionate approaches to compliance
This is about ensuring schools are not navigating these challenges alone.
This is not a campaign about fear.
It is a campaign about responsibility, leadership and professional confidence.
A shared responsibility
School safety does not sit with one individual or one role. It sits with leadership teams, governing bodies, local authorities, trust boards, premises teams and the wider system around them.
Schools Must Be Safe is a call for collective ownership of that responsibility, supported by credible guidance and professional expertise.
Schools must be safe.
And the people responsible for safety must be supported.
This campaign is for every professional who carries the weight of school safety daily, often unseen, often under pressure, always critical.
Find campaign updates in Latest News and on NASPM’s LinkedIn page.
NASPM is proud to lead this work.
Our services are designed to meet the differing needs of our members. To assist you to carry out your role as efficiently, effectively and safely as possible, we focus on providing useful, practical and operational support, advice and training to premises teams.
We support school leadership teams by providing the info and training needed to support your premises staff, to establish and maintain safe practices and policies, and to demonstrate due diligence.