Coping with the sudden death of a pupil

Unfortunately, some headteachers will be faced, in the course of their professional lives, with a set of circumstances arising from the death of a pupil at school or elsewhere.

In such circumstances, headteachers may feel on their own and may need advice at that moment. Accordingly, the DCSF has been asked to make advice available to help headteachers cope with the immediacy of a pupil's sudden death at school.

The text below is based on work prepared by Chris Bridge, Headteacher of Huntington School. We are very grateful to Mr Bridge for this.

Working with the police

Very soon after the death is announced the police should visit as they have to carry out an investigation into the circumstances.
You will need to clear rooms or spaces for them to work in.
They may want to collect evidence.
The police will normally tell the child's next of kin and will want to speak at once to the usually very upset teacher who will need someone with them and will probably need to stay at school.
The police will almost certainly tell you that you must not speculate on the cause of death. But remember that the media are under no such restriction.

Telling pupils

Where a pupil collapses during the school day when other pupils are present, is rushed to hospital and subsequently dies, those pupils will need to know what has happened before they leave at the end of the school day.
It is important to agree with the police the timing and content of the information that you give to pupils so as to meet the needs of the pupils whilst not impeding any police investigation.
Are there any siblings, close relatives, or boy/girl friend who needs to know first? Advise them first, but only when parents are ready to collect them.
Gather the whole year group together with 20 minutes to go before the final bell. Timing is everything. The pupils will listen intently until you tell them that the pupil has died. Then they stop hearing. If the pupil has died as the result of an accident you may want to ask them not to speculate about the causes of the accident and not to spread rumours. Getting them to hear this is very difficult. Allow them ten minutes to just be together as a year group. They will need to cry. Expect that some pupils will contact the local press.
If you want teachers to tell other pupils, you should have a statement ready for them to read out before you advise them.

Telling teachers
This may have to be after you have told the key pupils. You will need to tell the teachers who were nearest to what happened first. Depending on who that teacher is, they will probably need someone with them. If you want teachers to tell other pupils for you, have a statement ready for them to read out before you advise them.

Telling parents
The police will tell the parents of the child. Getting a letter to other parents, which both expresses sympathy and gives factual information about the death, is very important. It saves the rumours, which can be intensely hurtful to other pupils, parents and teachers.

Dealing with the media

Headteachers at community and voluntary controlled schools should contact their LA as soon as possible, especially if at all unclear about procedures for dealing with the media. It is recommended that the school should have an Emergency (or Critical Incident Recovery) Plan, which sets out procedures. Note: the LA may advise the school not to speak to the media and direct all enquiries to an appointed LA officer.
If your school does not already have a member of staff nominated as press officer, you may need to assign a colleague as press officer at once, even for fielding enquiries. You may well need intense help. A press officer may be required for the whole day.
The press and local TV channels may contact the parents and they together with the press may speculate about the cause of death. This is a very hard thing to deal with, especially if a TV crew has filmed this speculation by distraught parents.
You may find you have no time to prepare interviews and certainly no time to filter statements through the Director of Education even if the LA wants you to do this.
Keep expressing your sympathy for the parents so that editors will find it hard to cut this part of your statement.
If there is a post-mortem, this may happen very quickly, possibly within 24 hours of the death.
Ensure you are advised of the results of any post-mortem as soon as possible.
Your LA may want to hold onto this information, but you will need it. The best way to stop media speculation is to give them facts.

Helping the school recover
This is a long-term issue. You can help a school recover through a memorial service or assembly and through the use of counsellors. Recognise that those who go to counsellors may well not be those whose need is greatest. A brother or sister may well have intense needs that appear later. It is very difficult for the school to know when to stop making allowances.

Educational visits
The DCSF has issued guidance on coping with emergencies off-site in its 1998 good practice guide Health & Safety of Pupils on Educational Visits and three-part supplement published in July 2002.

Emergency planning
Time set aside to plan for how your school would cope in an emergency could make a huge difference to how effectively one is handled. Visit the emergencies planning area of this site.

Assistance from the DCSF
The DCSF will help in any way it can. Please telephone the Pupil Health and Safety Team on 020 7925 5886.

Further information
Supporting Bereaved Students in Primary and Secondary Schools — practical advice for staff is a booklet that has been developed by King's College London and the National Council for Hospice and Specialist Palliative Care Services, now the National Council for Palliative Care (NCPC). It offers advice and support to school staff and includes tips from teachers who have had experience with bereaved children. An extensive resource list is included for those who wish to look further into the issues explored or enlist further support.

The booklet can be ordered from NCPC by contacting Nick Hayes by email n.hayes@ncpc.org.uk or by telephone 020 7697 1520.

Last updated: 05 April 2007