"Exploring Safe Teaching through focus groups:
A collaborative journey across Europe".
The 2nd International Conference on Education and Diversity (Conferencia Internacional de Educación y Diversidad) was hosted by the University of Zaragoza and took place on the 4th and 5th of April 2025.
The Conference attracted a variety of professionals involved in education at all levels, from teachers and professors, to academics, school leaders, social workers, counsellors and students of education.
The concept of diversity was approached from different angles and disciplines, and touched the themes of cultural, religious, sexual, topographical and cognitive diversity, educational inclusion, personalisation of teaching and learning, teacher training and the use of technology.
The conference included plenaries, symposiums, research communications and school experiences.
María de la Torre from Fundación Promaestro shared the communication titled “Exploring Safe Teaching through focus groups: A collaborative journey across Europe”. She presented the Let’s Care project aims and framework, the methodology followed for qualitative data collection with teachers, a selection of teacher testimonies and conclusions, and the tools developed from the results of this research.
The findings featured were: the importance of building relationships with students for their academic and personal development; how collegiality gives teachers security, enriches their learning and creates a sense of shared responsibility for children’s growth; the importance of school leadership setting Safe Teaching as a priority, providing related training opportunities and spaces for sharing and reflection; and systemic barriers to Safe Teaching, including instability of education laws and lack of support specialists in schools.
To conclude, the contribution of the Safe Education framework and participatory practices to advancing inclusion and equity in European schools was highlighted.
