School & Education FAQ’S

It’s completely normal for others to be curious, especially if they’ve never met someone with a limb difference before. How you respond is entirely up to you—some people choose to educate; others prefer to keep it brief. Your teachers can help by setting respectful expectations in the classroom, and you can even lead an awareness session (with support) if you’re comfortable. Remember: your story is your own, and you choose how much to share.

If you find people are upsetting you when they’re asking questions, please speak to a trusted adult about it. It may be that some children don’t know how best to ask things and don’t mean to upset you, others may go too far and become unkind. That is unacceptable and must be addressed quickly and efficiently. Don’t keep it to yourself if this happens, talk to your trusted adult as soon as possible about it.

Your school will have a fire safety plan in place to make sure everyone gets out safely in the event of a fire. Some people in the school may require extra support to evacuate. If required, they will have a risk assessment written to make sure everything is in place, if something were to happen.

Talk to the leadership team or the SENCO in your school to make sure you have a risk assessment written and everything is in place for you.

Absolutely! You must do whatever works best for you to feel most comfortable at school. If you think you will need to take your prosthetic off during the day, discuss with your school the possibility of having a designated safe space to store it, such as a school locker or a teacher’s office. You can also use this safe space for any additional aids you need, such as a walking stick, crutches, or a wheelchair.

That is something to discuss with the school, but they are able to make reasonable adjustments to their policies for you, so you feel safe and comfortable during the school day.

Absolutely! There will be designated staff you can talk to at school, or you could ask to speak to a trusted adult outside of the Pastoral Care team. Please keep talking and expressing how you are feeling, on good and bad days! It’s the best way to let everyone know the kind of support you need. If you do find it difficult to open up face to face, perhaps ask if there is an email address you can use to talk to staff, or have a notebook with your trusted adult to write messages to each other.

You can talk to them yourself about your story and give practical tips specialised to you if you feel comfortable doing that. You could have family members or close friends who already know about being an amputee with you for support.

Steel Bones also offers school workshops and assemblies if you’d like us to come in and do a talk on your behalf.