Any place of education that cares for a supported child, sibling or bereaved sibling known to Shooting Star Children’s Hospices.
Support for schools
Whether you are a special or mainstream school, supporting a child with a life-limiting condition or their siblings is a difficult job, particularly when they are coming to the end of their life. We support schools before, when and after a child dies, and have done so for many years. Our therapies team are here to support nurseries, schools and colleges. We can offer a one-off online consultation or a short series of remote appointments with a qualified therapist to help you navigate the difficult time that the child you care for, and their classmates, are going through. If the staff team are struggling our therapists or counsellors can visit you to offer a training session in Loss and Grief*.
Contact us
Available for
How it works
We offer time with a counsellor or therapist over the phone or online. Team-wide training or support is also available subject to availability.
What does it involve?
Our therapists and counsellors can offer support, strategies and ideas for working with supported children and siblings going through diagnosis to the end of life period or bereavement. These short-term, interventions are designed to inform and empower teachers and, where necessary, signpost to additional services.
Is there a cost?
*Our support to schools is free, however trainings involve substantial preparation time and so we do ask schools to give a voluntary donation to the charity when we are preparing a training.
Bereavement cafe
On Thursdays at 10:30 – 12:30 we hold a bereavement café at Shooting Star House, our Specialist Bereavement Centre in Hampton. Schools are welcome to bring groups of pupils who knew a child who has died to attend as a one-off, or for successive weeks. Teachers usually identify a small group of pupils who were close to the child who has died. The cafe provides a safe space where they can make crafts and keepsakes, and talk to others about how grief can make you feel. Visiting our centre can remind them that they are not alone in their grief. Pupils often decorate a pebble in memory of a friend, and place this in our fountain alongside those made by other young people who have also experienced the death of a friend or sibling. If you would like to bring a group of pupils from your school to our centre, please get in touch.
Support from schools
Is your school looking to support us through fundraising events, challenges or activities, or would you like us to deliver an assembly that gives an overview of our work? Learn more on our support from schools page.