Great Torrington Junior School
TORRINGTON ACADEMIC COUNCIL
Guidelines on dealing with Death and Serious Injury
Rationale
The Torrington Academic Council felt that headteachers needed clear guidelines on the
actions, and the order of actions, they should be taking when faced with a serious incident
that involves death, or serious injury, to a child, member of staff, parent or governors,
either during the school day or outside of it. This follows some local incidents that left
particular headteachers feeling vulnerable.
Aims
•
•
•
•
To provide clear order of actions for senior managers to take in the immediate
aftermath of an incident that involves death or serious injury to a member/members of
the school community;
To provide quick and appropriate support for those who witness or are involved in
incidents that result in death or serious injury, and to those who know or are related to
victims;
To improve communication between schools, the LEA, support agencies and the local
community when news of a serious incident is reported;
To quicken up response times by support agencies in the event of such an incident.
This document provides:1. A grid covering a variety of serious incidents and a numbered list of actions to be
taken in chronological order when coping with each type of incident;
2. List of emergency numbers;
What this document does not try to do is to provide a sequence of actions that should be
taken in the medium and long term. It recognises that each school within the council is
unique. They all serve very different sorts of communities, have their own ethos and ways
of doing things and have very different accommodation and resources, including human. It
would be unwise to suggest how serious incidents should be handled once the immediate
actions have been taken.
Emergency Procedures – Suggested Order of response
3
2/6
1
13
5
14
15
2
Serious accident of a child in school
3
2/6
1
Poss
5
15
7/28
3
Residential visit – death of a child
3
2/6
1
Poss
4
13
5
4
Death of a child in school
3
2/6
1
Poss
4
5
25
5
Coach accident
4
2/6
10
3/13
1
5
25
6
Major incident in school
4
23
24
2/6
3
1
10
7
Death/serious injury of a child off
site
(non-school only)
5
2
1
7/28
8
Children witnessing death/serious
injury out of school
5
7/28
15
21
21
25
7/28
7/28
21
Poss
14
29
7/28
29
29
19
8
17
19
8
17
9
16
19
22
26
27
18
8
17
7/28
9
12
16
19
22
26
27
18
17
9
16
17
18
19
12
22
27
26
8
9
8
16
17
18
19
22
26
27
11
9
8
18
19
22
26
27
17
8
9
18
19
22
26
27
17
AFTER THE EVENT
IMMEDIATE
–
14
25
POSSIBLE ACTION
Residential visit – serious accident of
a child
ACTION
1
8
Possible Contacts/tasks/future course of action.
Contact Chair of Governors
1
Inform Area Office/ County Hall (Clearly identified phone numbers/contacts) 01392 382059
EAL Reception: Office hours Mon-Thurs 9.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m.
Friday 9.00am - 4.30 p.m.
01392 383329
EAL 24 Hour Emergency Cascade Number
2
3
Contact Parents (To say there has been a serious accident and pass on information
of where that child is)
Notify Police/Ambulance (Main Switchboard 08705 777444 or 999)
Contact Staff (ALL staff - teaching, non-teaching, LSAs, MTAs either to inform or plan response by senior management)
4
5
Contact Media Team (Press Office) - Possibly done by County Hall
6
Class/school informed
7
Contact Counselling Services
Tel:
8
Contact Vicar/Minister/Faith Leader
Tel:
9
Establish list of casualties
10
School closure considered
11
Particular class requested not to attend school
12
Contact all (other parents) (to minimise panic)
13
Contact Centre Manager/Teacher in charge to establish if residential goes on
14
Contact Bus Company
15
Contact Educational Psychologist
(Tel:
16
Contact School Nurse
(Tel:
17
Contact Youth Affairs Officer
(Tel:
18
Contact Support Agencies - School to draw up list
(Tel:
19
Make a room available for returning party
Consult website - Managing Death in the School Community - www.devon.gov.uk/dcs/perseduc/death.doc
21
22
Consider safety of other children/staff
23
If possible alert other staff of danger to keep children 'safe'
24
Consider siblings of children on visit/trip/in school
25
EWO
(Tel:
26
Bereavement Counsellors
Possible school assembly
Notify the British Embassy/Consulate if an emergency occurs abroad
Other possible useful contact numbers.
Social Services
Hospice (Newport) 01271 344248
Hospice (Little Bridge House) 01271 379719.
Tel:
27
28
29
Emergency Planning for Leaders of School Trips.
IMMEDIATE RESPONSE CHECK LIST IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY
1. Seek to remove pupils, staff and visitors from immediate danger
2. Call the emergency services, as required, by dialling 999.
3. Administer first aid to casualties.
4. Make an assessment of the scale and nature of the emergency and call the school on (INSERT
SCHOOL TELEPHONE NUMBER)
5. Where the emergency requires additional support from EAL officers or is of a
serious nature contact:
• 01392 382059 EAL Reception (Office Hours: 9am to 5pm Monday to
Thursday, Friday 9am to 4.30pm excluding public holidays)
• 01392 383329 EAL 24 hour Emergency Cascade Number (Out of office
hours) You will then be transferred to a senior officer within the EAL,
6. Be prepared to pass on the following information:
• Contact name and phone number of the person in charge
• Exact name, address and post code of the establishment
• Location of the emergency if different to the above
• Alternative phone number including mobile phone, if applicable
• Type of emergency, what happened, where and when
• Number of casualties, names of casualties and types of injury
• Location and details of non-injured parties
• What action has been taken so far
• What assistance is required
• Who else has been informed and what have they been told
• Any other information you feel would be useful
7. Ensure that all the group are safe and looked after.
8. Ensure that a teacher accompanies casualties to hospital and that the rest of the group are
adequately supervised at all times and are kept together.
9. Write down accurately and as soon as possible all relevant facts and witness details and preserve
any vital evidence.
10. Keep a written account of all events , times and contacts after the incident.
11. No one in the group should speak to the media. Names of those involved should not be given to
the media. All Media enquiries should be passed on to County Hall, Exeter.
12. No-one in the group should discuss legal liability with other parties.
On receiving the information from you the school should activate the rest of the establishments Local
Emergency Plan.
Local Emergency Planning (To be posted by telephone)
On receiving information of a serious emergency please refer to the school’s emergency procedures.
When telephoning the emergency services or County Hall be prepared to pass on the following
information:
• Contact name and phone number of the person in charge
• Exact name, address, post code and map reference of the establishment
Contact name
Contact phone number
Name of school
Address of school
Post code
Map reference
• Location of the emergency if different to the above
• Alternative phone number including mobile phone, if applicable
• Type of emergency, what happened, where and when
• Number of casualties, names of casualties and types of injury
• Location and details of non-injured parties
• What action has been taken so far
• What assistance is required
• Who else has been informed and what have they been told
• Any other information you feel would be useful
•
Emergency Services 999
•
01392 382059 EAL Reception (Office Hours: 9am to 5pm Monday to
Thursday, Friday 9am to 4.30pm excluding public holidays)
•
01392 383329 EAL 24 hour Emergency Cascade Number (Out of office
hours) You will then be transferred to a senior officer within the EAL,
Managing Death within the School Community
Although we know that death is a reality, which we all have to face at some time, there is a tendency
for us to behave as though it will never actually happen. So that even death through natural causes
can be hard for us to know how to manage let alone death in tragic circumstances. An additional layer
of difficulty for those of us who work in schools is the death of a child, or of an adult who cares for
children.
At any one time there will be one or more of our educational institutions managing tragic, as well as
natural difficulties, arising out of the death of an adult or pupil belonging to the school community.
There are always going to be hundreds of other individuals coping with their own private losses.
Some we will know about and some we never will.
Some years ago two young people in Exeter schools were murdered. If the death of an elderly
grandparent can be put at one end of a level of distress due to natural causes then surely the murder of
a young person has to be at the other end. Yet somehow or other, whenever it happens, all deaths
have to be coped with. There are no easy ways of doing that but there are some guidelines that can
help. For example, thinking situations through before they occur, especially those that may be full of
highly charged emotions.
If your school does not already have a policy or management plan concerning how all critical
incidents are to be managed you may need to consider producing such a document. The following
headings might help you focus on ‘death’ related issues.
Identify possible incidents from minor to major situations.
Note who would need to be informed in each case with telephone numbers where possible eg chair of
governors, parents, LEA, Health Authority, Police etc.
Formulate some clear guidelines for:
Immediate action.
Short-term action.
Long-term action.
Immediate action may include (your own feelings may initially make you unable to act in the best or
wisest way):
1. Safety of those in your care.
2. For any death the need for accurate and appropriate factual information is essential so establish
lines of communication as quickly as possible. Rumours and fears spread quickly in a crisis so
decide who needs to know what, how and when.
3. Press and media coverage can be complex, intrusive and difficult to manage. The Press Officer at
County Hall acts on behalf of the LEA. Contact them immediately and they will assist you on:
01392 383290.
Inform staff and pupils.
Inform governors and parents as appropriate.
4. Stick to a normal routine:
As far as possible ensure a normal routine in school. Security in our lives is especially important
at times of crises. However, in extreme situations young people and adults may initially need
‘time out space’ or just time to be together.
Only in the most extreme circumstances should the school be closed or pupils sent home.
5. Funerals:
Be aware of differing burial rites of different peoples, in some cultures the funeral is within 24
hours of the death.
6. Put into action the already existing support systems in the school. Those who already know and
care about each other are best pleased to offer support.
Know that talking and crying are natural ways in which human beings manage difficulties.
Above all - don’t let the impact of any death rob you of your own skills, wisdom, coping strategies or
human compassion. It may feel like an utterly different situation from anything that has ever
happened to you but whilst it might be much more extreme than any previous experience, you will
have life and management experience that will help you through.
Short-term:
Teachers will find it helpful to:
a. Be aware of your own feelings/difficulties relating to the situation.
b. Establish, or keep, good communications with the family - if the death is of a child.
c. Be prepared to answer questions openly and honestly and use your own experience and feelings
appropriately with other pupils.
d. Model good practice to adults around you by listening to children and their concerns, not being
afraid of letting children voice their worries and continue long-term with awareness of difficulties
and implications.
e. Communicate specific concerns to parents of children involved.
6. Be aware of community support services.
7. Support each other and don’t forget office and all other non-teaching staff.
Rituals and memorials:
Let as many people as possible have say in the way of marking the death. You may also want to take
care in thinking about how to deal with the belongings of the dead person.
Some kind of permanent memorial that the parents/community/children plan together can have a very
healing effect.
Long-term support and planning:
Don’t expect it all to be over quickly. The grieving process takes a long time.
Don’t under-estimate the long-term impact on individuals.
Think about things you can put in place to assist yourselves in the future.
For example:
1. Knowledge about death and bereavement through the curriculum:
Healthy thinking about all life events before they happen is one of the best ways to prepare us for
those events.
Pupils should cover other cultures and religious beliefs and attitudes to death.
feelings, peer support.
Expressing
Families and keeping emotionally and mentally well, should all be part of the PSHE planned
curriculum.
English, religious education, history science all provide opportunities to consider death in all its
complexity.
2. The anniversary of the death:
The dead person/people need to have an appropriate place in our memories – time changes that
place - marking anniversaries helps.
‘Abnormal’ distress
Some people may react to the death in a way that you judge to be beyond the normal. There could be
a variety of reasons for this. Parents need to be informed in the case of children. Professional help
through educational psychology or the GP or school counsellor may be needed.
The book ‘Good Grief’ by Barbara Ward has a good section on what to look out for.
Outside agencies to help:
If it is a major crises you will need someone from the LEA to be available to organise the various
tasks that need doing - the PSHE adviser might be one of your first points of call - 01392 385254.
Immediate help and longer-term help:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Educational psychological service.
School nurse - GP - child guidance/family counselling.
Youth affairs officer - victim support.
Local church groups - other voluntary agencies.
Local CRUSE group.
Longer-term:
6. ‘Little Bridge House’ Children’s Hospice South West offer individual group or family support 01271 379719.
7. ‘Winston’s Wish’ - a grief support agency for children 01452 394165.
Useful Literature:
VERY YOUNG - 3-6 years:
Badger’s Parting Fits - Susan Varley.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar - E Carle.
Remembering Mum - G Perkins and L Morris.
The 10th Good Thing About Barney - Judith Viorst.
MID AGE - 7-11 years:
Geranium Morning - E Sandy Powell
The Accident - Carol Carrick
I’ll Always Love You - H Wilhelm
11-16 years
The Charlie Barber Treatment - C Lloyd
Gaffer Samson’s Luck - Jill Paton Walsh
Alex and Alex in Winter - T Doder
A Summer to Die - L Lowrey
For teachers
Loss and Separation - Rob Long and Jenny Bates - Devon Psychological Services
Death in the Curriculum - by Rebecca Hursey & S Hawkler (available for loan from Gillian Feest)
Good Grief - Barbara Ward. An excellent resource – 2 editions one for the under 11s one for the over
11s
Helping Children Cope with Grief - Rosemary Wells
Living with Grief in School - Anne Chadwick
Working with Young People in loss situation - Martins (Longman)
The Schools’ Library Service has a catalogued collection of fiction and non-fiction books on the
subject of death and bereavement. The collection will include reference material for teachers in
addition to age appropriate books for primary and secondary pupils.