INSET TRaining
Our training is designed to reassure and empower educators, equipping them with the knowledge and tools to support a bereaved child in school.
Tailored to meet the specific needs of each school, our training is delivered in three key areas: an interactive in-school workshop; a workbook that guides participants through the session with key information to keep and return to; and follow-up materials to help embed support of bereaved children into your school’s culture.
interactive workshop
A two-hour training session that will cover:
The current national picture regarding child bereavement
How grief is commonly experienced by children
How all members of staff can support bereaved children, both in the early days following a bereavement and over the longer term
The session will be part presentation and part workshop. It is designed using current pedagogical best practice to enable effective learning for all staff.
follow-up Resources
The workbook
Our workbook, How to Support Bereaved Children in School, guides participants through the session, and will continue to support staff in applying the training over time.
We recommend that each member of staff has a copy, but schools are welcome to purchase the number of copies that best suits their needs.
The training package also provides access to a dedicated resources section on this website, known as The Staff Room. This includes:
Post-training resources to support follow-up discussions in school
A Rapid Refresher course of videos for staff who have previously attended training, designed to quickly bring them back up to speed when support for a bereaved child is needed.
in-school workshop
Our In-School Workshop delivered after school or as part of an INSET day: c. 2 hours.
Using slides and an accompanying workbook, I deliver an interactive workshop where we explore the professional role your staff have to support a bereaved child - including teachers, teaching assistants, learning support assistants, your Senior Leadership Team and admin staff.
We cover what children aged 3 to 11 most commonly understand and feel about grief as well as the range of possible behaviours they may present in school. Throughout this training, I focus on and explore the relationship between YOU, the bereaved CHILD and the SCHOOL.
The WORKBOOK
The workbook is designed to support participants throughout the workshop. It provides key information alongside dedicated spaces for written tasks and reflections. It includes:
An overview of how grief may feel for children, and the behaviours they might show in school after a significant bereavement
Factors that can influence the grieving process
Common models of loss
Four golden rules for supporting bereaved children in school
A practical lesson planning tool
follow-up Resources
The Staff Room
The Staff Room is a dedicated area of this website for educators who have completed The Marfleet Foundation’s in-person training.
It offers resources to help school leadership teams continue discussions with staff on how to implement the training within their own school context.
The Staff Room also includes a refresher video course designed to support teachers in the immediate days and weeks after a child returns to their classroom following a significant bereavement.
My husband, Tom died aged 42 when our sons were 8, 6 and 3 years old. I have created The Marfleet Foundation in Tom’s memory and to channel my energy into making something positive out of so much pain. From my experience as a class teacher and Deputy Headteacher of a London primary school, I know the small things you can do in school and I know the big things that matter. I aim to reassure and empower your staff to make a positive impact on the lives of the young people you know and care so much about where and when it really really matters.
I currently have one son in primary school and two sons in secondary school. I continue to learn about life and how grief affects my family as we navigate their childhood into adolescence. Tom’s death is a major part in the narrative of their lives but I want them to own their stories and never be afraid of how others will respond to them. My hope is that what we offer in The Marfleet Foundation will go some way to help other children also achieve this goal.
I look forward to hearing from you,
Emma Marfleet
Childhood bereavement is the sharp end of loss
Knowledge learned and skills explored in our training will help all children experiencing a form of loss in their lives.
All in person and online training materials are copyright © The Marfleet Foundation 2024.
Video and onsite training are designed using current pedagogical best-practice in order to enable effective learning for all. Please let us know ahead of any training sessions if the staff attending have differentiated learning needs.