Grieving Together – Supporting a SEND Community with Grief

Special schools are close communities, and when a pupil or member of staff dies, everyone feels it. It can be tempting to shield children with SEND from the news because they've enough to cope with already. That tends to leave them confused, and grieving on their own.

Someone who has spent over 25 years in special schools shows you another way. Tell everyone on the same day, in words they can understand: they have died and they're not coming back. Make it clear where people have gone, so a teacher who's changed jobs isn't mistaken for one who has died. Let children sit with strong feelings instead of cheering them up too quickly.

You'll also find practical resources, such as a bereavement symbol set, toys for playing out a funeral and memory books. And if you put in a memorial bench, keep it painted.