School, as an educational institution, represents an important context for
the development of children and young people. It is therefore necessary to
shape it as a safe and stimulating environment for student learning and
development. This paper offers a definition of the concept of school as a
safe and stimulating environment for student learning and development, based
on a review of academic and scholarly papers from a variety of disciplines
and areas of practice. The content and meaning of the concept of school
safety have been considered from the physical and psychological aspects,
while the concept of school as a stimulating learning environment has been
specified in terms of four dimensions - the physical, psychological, social
and cognitive school environment. It is pointed out that these concepts and
the phenomena they denote tend to be interpreted and analysed as the
components or dimensions of broader concepts, namely, school climate and
school culture. One section of the paper is therefore devoted to explaining
these concepts, as well as considering their interrelationship and the
importance of creating a positive and stimulating school climate and culture
for institutional practice. The conclusion further emphasises that creating
school as a safe and stimulating environment for student learning and
development, as well as creating positive and supportive school climate and
culture, is an extremely complex process that entails changes in the content
and structure of the school institution as a whole.