Building Safe Schools for Children with Rights (DIGNITY)

PROJECT INFORMATION

• Start date: 1st October 2012

• End date: 30th September 2013

• Funding scheme: EU Lifelong Learning Programme

• Main project funding: LLP Comenius AM

• Beneficiaries: Image-Inn, College of Europe, University of Antwerp

PROJECT SUMMARY

Over the past years, violence in schools has occurred with incidents ranging from minor discipline problems, to verbal and physical threats. While an understanding of the phenomenon of violence in schools has progressed in various disciplines, a significant gap on the legal framework and the enforcement of law in schools to guarantee a safe educational environment remains.

The consortium partners intend to provide a better understanding of how law influences and might effectively be modified to reduce violence in schools in a given European context.

The LLP AM Comenius Dignity project addresses the legal challenges for creating a safe educational environment. Moreover, the project considers the need of officials who supervise schools, of directors and teachers, of education providers to acquire understandings of international norms for safety plans in schools within the framework of respect for human rights.

The project seeks to disseminate research through an on-line video tutorial, e-books, recommendations about the legal obligation to prevent violence in school as an aspect of education policies to be developed in the best interests of the child, and through international conferences and dissemination workshops. The point of the conference is to highlight the fact that schools should serve as safe environments to enhance the development of the child’s personality, talents and mental and physical abilities to their fullest potential. The outputs are available free on-line.

The ultimate objective is to make violence in schools regarded as a preventable problem instead of being inevitable.

PROJECT TARGET GROUP

Education law academics, professionals working in national inspectorates, in European networks of education providers, school directors and teaching staff, experts in violence and safety in schools, advocacy groups, pupils and student organisations, parental organisations.

Further dissemination of the results is expected to take place through the European networks of which representatives participate in the conference and through teacher training courses of the UNITWIN experts.

A European alliance working group supports the impact efforts.

PRINCIPLE RESULTS

The information is the sole responsibility of the author and of the beneficiaries of the grant. EACEA nor the European Commission are responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained herein.

Video tutorial and translations
Free online e-book – Dignity and Safety in Education (download)
Free online e-book – Case Studies on Dignity in Education (download)
Free online e-book – Beschermen van de waardigheid van leerlingen op school (download)
Recommendations (download)
Kick-off international conference November 2012 Belgium (programme)