How schools can support children who experience loss and death

Abstract

Scenes of public grieving such as followed the death of Princess Diana bear little resemblance to the ‘taboo’ status of death and bereavement at an individual level. For schools and the support services with whom they work, responding to pupils’ experiences of loss and death, especially of parents, is challenging. This paper draws on research and curriculum initiatives in one region in England to examine the current situation in schools. It then explores ways in which schools may be both more responsive when a death occurs, and more proactive in creating environments in which both pupils and their teachers are better prepared for the challenges which it poses.