BackPocketTeacher

About BackPocketTeacher

Dr Sarah Helton - BackPocketTeacher

I have worked in the field of Special Educational Needs/Disabilities (SEND), Learning disabilities for 30 years and have an outstanding track record in a diverse range of roles (Deputy Head, Assistant Head, Teacher, Local Authority Education Officer and Educational Publisher).

Throughout my time in education I have witnessed and supported the many forms of loss, grief and bereavement that children and young people with SEND can experienced. I was aware that these students were rarely acknowledged as being affected by their loss and were frequently denied information about what had happened. Schools and educators lacked the confidence and knowledge to support the bereavement and grief needs of their students.

In 2016 (whilst working part-time as an assistant head teacher) I set up BackPocketTeacher which provides consultancy, training, resources and support for those working with bereaved and grieving children and adults with learning disabilities/SEND.

In March 2024, I successfully completed a PhD, having researched how children with severe, profound or profound and multiple learning disabilities communicate grief.

Along side running BackPocketTeacher I am the SEND consultant and trainer for the national bereavement charity Winston's Wish, a training facilitator for Creative Education and work with the charity Teach Us Too on their project Transformational Tales: Literacy For Life. This project collects stories about the impact of literacy teaching on young people with complex needs.

Follow my work via this website, the BackPocketTeacher Blog, LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-helton/ and on social media. Instagram @backpocketteach, Twitter @backpocketteach and Facebook @BackPocketTeacher.

Let's Talk About Grief

No one likes to think about death, let alone talk about it and who feels comfortable talking to children about death?!

Being blessed with life means that we also have to cope with others dying and manage the associated emotions of grief.

We already teach children about so many feelings - what happiness, sadness and anger are, how they make us feel and how to manage these emotions. Now it is time to ensure we extend the conversations to include grief.

If you work with children/young people you need to be prepared to talk to them about all aspects of life (which includes death) and support them with their own grief whether it is related to a death or any other form of loss.

BackPocketTeacher provides you with the confidence, skills and resources to do this.

With BackPocketTeacher in your back pocket our bereaved and grieving children and young people are in great hands.

Teach Us Too - Transformational Tales, Research Project

Transformational Tales: Literacy For Life

This project is collecting stories about the impact of literacy teaching on young people with complex needs.

We aim to gather the ‘voices’ and stories of children and young people who are non-speaking and considered to have severe or profound learning disabilities or autism. This project intends to discover the meaning and impact of communication and literacy on the lives of young people who are non-speaking.

Find out more

Please get involved

There is little formal research that collects the views and opinions of young people who are non-speaking. We believe that their voices should be amplified and heard by society.

Please help us to gather ‘Transformational Tales’ and highlight the need for ‘Literacy for Life’.