Wokingham

Every school in the Wokingham district will shortly be receiving an award-winning CD-rom to provide help and advice on how to cope when someone has died.

The CD-rom has been produced by the Rotary International and is an informative resource designed to help children, families and their teachers with the trauma of bereavement.

Wokingham District Council recently published a support framework for schools to assist them following a critical incident and/ or sudden traumatic event. Schools have found this a useful document and to complement this framework, Stephen Hempson-Jones, headteacher at the Hawthorn’s Primary School in Wokingham, felt the CD-rom would provide a useful additional interactive tool for staff and children to use if they have suffered a bereavement.

Stephen, also a member of the Rotary Club, said: “It is a fact of life that death can be premature, sudden and even violent. All of our schools have to deal with it because any community is inevitably touched by death. Death is often a taboo subject, and the idea behind this CD-rom, which is backed by a long list of hospices and bereavement organisations, is to bring it out into the open and talk about it. It has plenty of practical guidance for teachers and families who need to know how best to help children. It is also the first resource to cover this topic in a comprehensive and interactive way.”

The CD-rom, which has been sent to every Wokingham secondary, primary and special school in the district, aims to offer help and advice on how to cope with death in the family, the death of a friend, teacher or even a pet. It lends support to teachers who may be faced with dealing with a situation that is new to them and offers practical advice on how to support a pupil if they have suffered a bereavement.

The CD-rom is also designed for parents and children and discusses a range of issues such as emotions, where to go for help and signs to look out for following a sudden death to help them through this difficult time. It also includes true stories of children offering their experiences to help others. There is a detailed section on different religions and how each religion deals with death and funerals.

Wokingham Cllr Frank Browne, executive member for Wokingham children’s services, said: “I would like to extend my thanks to The Rotary Clubs of Easthampstead, Loddon Vale, Reading Maiden Erlegh and Wokingham for their generosity for providing all the district’s schools with this very useful and interactive tool.

“When someone dies it can be very difficult for children to understand the meaning of death. And it is also difficult for teachers who have to support their pupils. This CD-rom provides useful advice on a whole range of issues from expected reactions to other resources available.”

The Cd-roms have been funded by The Rotary Clubs of Easthampstead, Loddon Vale, Reading Maiden Erlegh and Wokingham and is the fourth in the ‘Coping with Life’ series.

Wokingham District Council