Help on hand for Zoe’s classmates

STAFF at little Zoe Butler’s school have met with psychologists who will help her classmates come to terms with their friend’s sudden and tragic death.

The Department of Education said members of the National Educational Psychological Service will be available to assist the school community at Scoil Réalt na Mara in Ballycotton through its grief.

NEPS staff met principal Derry Keogh yesterday afternoon, just hours after teachers and the 97 other pupils heard the news that has devastated the seaside village.

From this morning, they will be offering services that sadly have to be delivered around 100 times a year to primary and second-level schools faced with responding to bereavement after the death of a student or teacher. The NEPS psychologists are trained to help schools cope with traumatic incidents such as suicide, murder, accidental deaths including road accidents or drowning, and deaths through illness.

In the case of violent deaths, NEPS staff are trained to deal with the fears that might arise, particularly among younger pupils. In circumstances where a child dies as a result of family violence, for example, children might worry that the same thing could happen in their own family and parents might wonder what to say.

According to NEPS guidelines for schools, some pupils may worry that they could have prevented what happened but it is important to stress that no one has control over another person’s actions.

“It is important to give the facts in a way that is appropriate to the age of the child. Do not give graphic details and discourage the circulation of speculation about such details,” the guidelines state.

Teachers and other school staff are also advised to be sensitive to the fact that an alleged perpetrator may have relatives and friends within the school community.

Schools may also take a role in helping to advise parents, with NEPS suggesting it may be useful to hold an information meeting to allow them find out how they can help their children through difficult times like these.

As well as advice and support from psychologists, primary schools can take guidance from a book developed by the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) after the Omagh bombing to help staff work with children and parents to cope with a variety of serious incidents.