For heads of school
Review emergency leadership, family communication, educational support, referral, and continuing follow-up responsibilities. Qualified professionals and applicable school protocols should guide matters beyond ordinary educational care. Give staff clear roles and support rather than transferring every concern to the classroom.
This month’s action: Verify the response plan and contact ownership with the relevant qualified staff.
Prepare the adults and the process
A school’s response to loss or crisis requires clear responsibilities and compassionate judgment. Before a difficult event, identify who leads communication, who supports families, how staff receive appropriate information, and how concerns reach qualified help. Keep emergency and safeguarding procedures distinct from general educational support, and follow the school’s applicable protocols when safety is at issue.
Teachers need practical preparation and access to support rather than an expectation that they become counselors. Review the school’s referral pathway with the people responsible for it. The linked Psychological First Aid resources can inform preparation, but reading a briefing is not a credential or a replacement for professional training.
Offer care without forcing disclosure
Within their educational role, adults can listen respectfully, acknowledge difficulty, preserve appropriate privacy, and help a student connect with the designated support person. Avoid asking for unnecessary details or making promises beyond the employee’s role. Spiritual care should make room for honest questions and lament rather than using reassuring language to hurry a person’s response.
Coordinate any school-approved educational adjustments through the appropriate staff so a student or family does not have to negotiate independently with every teacher. Decide what information each person needs and what remains private. Qualified professionals and authorized school leaders should guide decisions that go beyond ordinary classroom support.
Plan continuing attention
The school should decide who follows up after the immediate response and how the family can express changing needs. A designated liaison can reduce repeated explanations and help staff coordinate appropriate support. Employees carrying response responsibilities also need consultation and workable coverage.
Review the plan for clarity, not for a promised recovery timeline. Keep contact information current and practice the communication and referral process before a crisis. This is educational planning guidance; it does not diagnose a student, prescribe treatment, or establish that a school has met every local obligation.
Heads of school: monthly action worksheet
Use this template in your next leadership meeting. Add your school’s evidence, responsible person, and review date. The page can be printed or saved as a PDF using your browser.
| Step | Work to record | Responsible person / next date |
|---|---|---|
| Your role | Review emergency leadership, family communication, educational support, referral, and continuing follow-up responsibilities. Qualified professionals and applicable school protocols should guide matters beyond ordinary educational care. Give staff clear roles and support rather than transferring every concern to the classroom. | Clarify responsibility |
| This month’s action | Verify the response plan and contact ownership with the relevant qualified staff. | Choose a date |
| Evidence to review | Would our employees know their role and next contact during a difficult event? | Record what is known and missing |
| Next conversation | Bring the evidence and any decision beyond your role to the appropriate person. | Arrange follow-up |
One question to put into practice
Would our employees know their role and next contact during a difficult event?
Continue in Solomon
Public reference for further review
An original Arete briefing adapted from the linked field notes. Guidance must be interpreted in the school’s context by its responsible leaders and qualified advisors.
Discuss educational grief and crisis preparation →