One of the IES promises to students and parents is that we will provide a safe and secure place for learning. Which is why Internationella Engelska Skolan focuses equally on “pastoral” and “academics”. Pastoral encompasses student care and safety. Creating a safe environment, where adults are always present and every individual feels secure, is fundamental. Mr Martin believes it is necessary to be transparent about the increased threat of violence in society as well as how it can affect students, along with realising that schools need to adapt to a somewhat new reality.
“The main message is that we should be preventing fires – not putting them out; that is, we should be aware of what can happen and actively work to prevent it,” he says.
Reviewing safety
Mr Martin sets out that there are already many excellent safety practices and measures in place in IES schools.
“My responsibility is to ensure and constantly develop frameworks so that all our schools are safe. This is done by taking stock of each school’s security and supplementing it in the areas needed, and by training staff so that they know how to act in the event of danger and can prevent dangerous situations from arising,” says Mr Martin.
“This can include anything from fire safety systems to speeding up risk analyses in response to warning signs that a student is not feeling well, and ensuring that procedures for containment and evacuation are in place. We ensure that the school’s public address system works in case of an alarm, that windows are frosted and curtained, and that entrances are secure and equipped with panic locks,” he continues.
Communication about safety is important
Creating a safe school requires us to have clear structures and procedures. Nobody should feel unsure about the way things are done. This in turn requires good communication, as well as trust and strong relationships between students, teachers and parents. During the 2024/25 academic year, Mr Martin and a security specialist partner visited all IES schools to train and inform staff on how to act in situations of ongoing deadly violence, how to identify unusual or concerning behaviours, and how to prevent incidents on school premises.
“With so many people involved in our schools – students, parents, often two sets per student, and staff – there is a risk that some individuals will be affected by the increased violence in society,” he says.
“Responses to our education campaign have been very positive. For school staff, it is reassuring to know how to act and to be able to answer students’ and guardians’ questions about safety at school.”
IES schools have closed campuses
The issue of school safety came to the fore after the tragic school shooting in Örebro in February 2025. In July of the same year, new legislation to strengthen school safety came into force. This includes ensuring that all preschools and schools have a contingency plan and ongoing preparedness activities to deal with serious situations of violence and threats of violence. It should also be clear that the school is not a public place and that unauthorised persons should not be allowed to enter the school premises during hours of operation. This is the responsibility of the school operator and may include clarifying boundaries, no trespassing notices, locked doors, access cards, code locks and tags.
“IES has always worked to create a safe and secure school environment, for example, our schools are already closed to the public and have a manned reception where visitors have to register,” says Mr Martin.
“We also place great emphasis on the visibility of all staff, which means that everyone learns to recognise who belongs to the school – and can spot if someone else is trespassing.”
Zero tolerance for violence
Research suggests that there is no single explanation for why some children and young people develop non-normative behaviour or start committing crimes. It may involve students who act alone or gang crime.
“This can be anything from a student misbehaving, stealing, fighting, skipping school and maybe starting a fire in a school, to a shooting outside the building and serious threats to, or from, individual students,” says Mr Martin.
“But we know that children and young people who do break norms, rules or laws need to be identified and given support to understand the consequences of their actions as early as possible to break the trend before the problems become serious. In many cases, collaboration between schools and other stakeholders, such as parents, the police, the healthcare system and social services, is crucial to achieving results. Children and young people with multiple risk factors often need intensive and comprehensive interventions. That’s why it’s important that collaboration works,” says Mr Martin.
Statistics from the Swedish Work Environment Authority (Arbetsmiljöverket) point to an increasingly harsh and aggressive climate in society, with a growing number of reports concerning threats and violence. Therefore, investment in security and staff training will remain an important and prioritised area for IES.
“Involving everyone in the school is essential. The more people who can signal that violence is not accepted, the easier it will be to stop and prevent offences and violence,” he says.
