Policy and procedures
"Having a policy in place to ensure there is a clear, consistent path of communication among the whole school community is really, really important."
Many schools have found that a bereavement policy supports a consistent approach to managing a bereavement and can help to create a bereavement-aware culture across the school. Although it is not possible to plan for every possible eventuality, having certain procedures in place can help when managing a bereavement that has impacted the school as a whole or when supporting pupils with a personal bereavement.
For mainstream schools, it can be helpful to consider if any additional adaptations may be needed for SEND pupils. Within a SEND setting, there are additional considerations, such as the challenges of communicating with staff, parents and carers. It could be that you have some pupils who are residential and some who are not. As well as staff who work at the school, there may be peripatetic therapists/medical staff who are an additional part of the wider school community. Having a clear policy in place that considers procedures, such as how to communicate the death of a pupil to the entire school community, can help to ease some pressure at a very emotive time. Having responsibilities allocated to those in certain roles is also useful.
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