There are no right or wrong models, it is very much about what fits with your school. Options that you may wish to consider:

• Open groups provide the flexibility that some pupils require, enabling them to attend sessions intermittently and for as long as they feel the need. However, dependency can build up and endings can be difficult to achieve
• Closed groups run for a fixed length of time with a set group of pupils. The group dynamics are not disturbed by new members joining half way through
• A good compromise is to run a group for a fixed length of time with a set group of pupils but with the option of attending the next one for pupils who feel they need more support.

A semi- structured approach appears to work well. Each session has a loose theme with a simple related activity but with the freedom to allow pupils to do as much or as little of the bereavement work as they feel able to cope with.

Bereaved children and young people who attend groups tell us that just being there is in itself immensely helpful.

Sometimes schools run groups just for pupils who are bereaved of a parent. Others open the groups to anyone who has been affected by the death of someone important.

For the pupil, it is the shared grief experience that is important rather than the circumstances of the death so a mixture of experiences is usually not a problem but too large a group will be.

A ratio of around 4 pupils to each adult work well.

See our example model.