Bereavement

On average, 1 in every 29 children will be bereaved of a parent — the equivalent of one in every class — and many more children will experience the death of another family member or friend. These lesson plans provide the opportunity to take a sensitive approach to learning about bereavement in the classroom. They will support children and young people to develop the skills and understanding they need to deal with this particular life event.

Comprising two lessons for each key stage, these resources are designed to help pupils and students explore bereavement and grief in developmentally appropriate ways. They are not intended as a pastoral intervention in the event of a bereavement in the school community, as at that point the priority is for pastoral care rather than preventative education.

The lessons are not suitable for home learning, but can be used with pupils who are physically in school now, or planned into your programme to deliver face-to-face later in the year.

At key stages 1 and 2, pupils will:

• Learn about different types of loss, change and bereavement
• Explore some strategies for managing feelings associated with bereavement
• Develop their awareness of how to seek support with feelings

At key stages 3 and 4, students will:

• Learn about managing emotions associated with grief
• Explore how to support others experiencing grief and loss
• Develop an awareness of how loss, grief and bereavement can impact young people

The free resource packs include a teacher guidance document along with a lesson plan and PowerPoint for each lesson.