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A memorial is a way to remember a student’s life. Memorials can offer students:
- a chance to express their grief
- a sense of hope and recovery.
Any memorial you plan should be relevant to the students at your school. It’s about the here and now.
Risks
Excessive or exaggerated admiration can cause problems. It can:
- distress people close to the student
- affect vulnerable students - because they might then see suicide as an option.
However it is important to acknowledge and remember a student’s life as avoiding this can add to distress and contribute to the stigmatisation of mental health conditions.
Avoid large groups of grieving students
Do not use the whole school assembly.
If your school holds a memorial, keep it:
- small
- personal.
Parent or carer consent
Seek consent from the student’s parents or carers, if possible. Let them know what’s planned, if you can.
Be sensitive about cultures and religions
Think about cultural and religious practices. Try to consider specific:
- rituals
- traditions
- beliefs.
Do not glamorise what happened
Do not glamorise or emphasise the event in any way. Remember the student with respect and dignity.
What else to think about
Tributes
Some tributes happen spontaneously. For example, people might leave flowers, balloons, photos or letters.
- Do not make physical tributes permanent.
- Spontaneous tributes should only stay for a short time.
- Make it suit the student’s developmental level, if possible.
- Consider moving the tribute to a location that is out of high traffic areas. This ensures that students who do not wish to be involved or who may be distressed by the tribute do not need to participate.