Teachers

Communication

• If you are speaking with them about their situation, make sure you are respecting their privacy about it. If they do not want to talk to you about it, then do not force them to. Make sure other students are not around when talking with them about it, and anything they do share with you should remain confidential, unless there is a risk of serious harm and abuse, when you must inform your Safeguarding lead.

• Make sure to acknowledge their loss directly and gently. 

• Do not minimise their loss. Avoid saying things such as 'everything happens for a reason', or 'at least you know you can get pregnant', etc. Instead, make it clear you understand their loss and are there to support them.

Understanding their situation

• Don't forget that they have just lost a pregnancy/baby. The pregnancy might have been planned or unplanned, regardless of how they became pregnant, they have still gone through something very difficult and emotionally heavy.

• They may not be acting like their usual self; their emotions could be all over the place, or they could be very depressed and closed off. Make sure to take into consideration what has happened when dealing with their emotions.

• Be aware that they may still be dealing with pain, tiredness, and bleeding and need frequent breaks from class.

Academic flexibility

The physical and emotional toll of their situation can be overwhelming. It can make it difficult for them to focus on anything else. They might already be struggling with keeping up with self-care and other responsibilities, so it would be best to reduce the academic pressure on them during this difficult time.

Some suggestions include:

• Granting extensions for assignments

• Waving upcoming exams

• Adjusting assignment weighting or considering exceptional circumstances when marking their work.

• Avoid pushing them in class. Do not call on them to answer unless they volunteer themselves. Let them take things at their own pace.

Safe-spaces/Hallway pass system

They may find it difficult to sit through class, be around loads of people or hear/talk about certain things. You can help support them through letting them know where they can go for 'safe spaces' which allow them to be away from the class environment and take time for themselves.

You could also accommodate them with a 'hallway pass' where they are allowed to step out of class if they need to without having to explain their reason to the teacher or in front of the class.

There are many reasons why they may need to step away, such as difficult emotions surfacing, and they need space away from others. They may also be dealing with physical symptoms like pain and bleeding still and will need to address these throughout the day.

Mental Health Support

The school should be able to support the student with their mental health. You should be able to refer the student to some of the following, where they can access resources to support them:

• Schools' safeguarding team

• Pastoral lead

• Mental health counsellor

Make sure the student knows that there are people there to support them, and they are welcome to speak to any of the staff they feel they can trust about their situation and request further support as needed.