How would a school deal with death of a former student?

[whatandthesky]

Someone who left secondary school around 10 years ago has suddenly died, he went to the school from the start of year 7 all the way to sixth form. How would you expect the school who this person went to to handle their death. By that I mean should the school be informed and if told how would the school react? Would they send a representative to the funeral?

The person who has sadly passed away is not someone I know but someone a friend went to school with. I'm asking because my friend is wondering if she should let the school know about his death.

OP I think you can safely assume that several past pupils of every school don't make it to age 30. Certainly this has been the case in my year and the years both of my siblings were in. Three of my old classmates have died.

If there hasn't been any note on the school FB page of any deaths of past pupils, then I would think it's clear the school doesn't mark the deaths.

I agree with @eeek88, word for word. I can’t see any harm in informing the school & any staff still there who knew him might be glad to know. Just don’t invest in a response.

As a primary school, we send a representative to the funeral of the child died by suicide or illness or accident in secondary school

So what manner of death would mean you don’t go?

I guess it depends on the type of school- a large comprehensive where teachers don't know all the pupils names, then no. A small religious boarding school with a low turnover of staff, then yes.

I don't think it's at all 'odd' but then I still get a school magazine from mine, which does a few paragraphs of obituary when informed of the death of an 'old girl'. I've been to the funerals of several teachers, and quite a few came to the funeral of a girl who'd left about 15 years previously.

Real life example:
Senior staff attended funeral, as well as many former classmates and student remembered:
www.priory.lancs.sch.uk/news/2019-09-23-award-pays-tribute-to-former-pupil
www.priory.lancs.sch.uk/news/2019-11-22-in-memory-of
I would suggest school is informed formally, a young person dying is significant and the school may well wish to acknowledge this.

The school I work in has an alumni team, and yes, they would definitely want to know.
For a relatively recent leaver like that there would very probably be staff who would remember the deceased and their family and some of them might want to send condolences or even attend the funeral.
It's very sad for teachers to nurture young lives for seven years and see them cut short.
I can think of a few times it's happened since I've worked there.
Our school would also want to take the deceased student off their mailing list for future alumni events and school mags etc, but I guess that depends on what kind of a school it is and whether they do these things (this is an independent school).

I think our school something would be said or done or like to think so. Our head has been at the school in some sort of capacity since the 1990s and a lot of the other staff have been there 10-15 years if not longer.

Maybe not to attend funeral but maybe if they were close to the school they might but send flowers to the parents or something.

Also if the person who died was a round 28 then there's a high change that someone he went to school or knows personally works at the school. So word would get out that way too. Or that would
Be the case were I work

My old schools (private) would definitely want to know and would put a death notice in the alumni magazine. It's also a way to contacting old classmates who may otherwise not know about the funeral and may wish to attend.

Depends on the school and pupil surely?
It’s up to the next of kin. If they want to let the school know they will.
Up to school whether they acknowledge it.
There’s no question of ´should’ inform the school they don’t have a right to know.
Really not complicated and really none of your friend’s business. Leave it to the next of kin

A bit of a tangent but my sister died aged 18. I don't believe the school was informed. I don't think it crossed anyones mind to inform them. However as she was so young it was all in the papers and on the news so I guess they knew anyway. The headteacher of her sixth form college attended the funeral along with 100's of strangers. He wouldn't have known who she was if he passed her in the corridor. I was so angry at the intrusion of all those people and I hated them all for being there. With the benefit of age I understand everyone wanted to show support but I know there were plenty of grief vampires around too.